Lucijan Marija Škerjanc

Lucijan Marija Škerjanc was born on 17 December 1900 in Graz (at that time Austria-Hungary). His parents were Slovenians who returned from to Graz to their homeland in 1902. He first studied music in Ljubljana, before continuing his education at the Prague Conservatory in 1920–1921 and at the Vienna Music Academy from 1922 to 1924, where he studied composition with Joseph Marx and piano with Anton Trost. He finally studied at the Schola Cantorum under Vincent d'Indy in Paris and conducting under Felix Weingartner in Basel.

After his studies Lucijan Marija Škerjanc first made a living with lecturing at the conservatory and the academy of music in Ljubljana. Škerjanc began teaching in Ljubljana in 1922 and later became professor of composition at the Academy of Music, where he continued teaching until 1970. From 1945 to 1947 he also served as rector of the Academy, and between 1950 and 1955 he was director of the Slovenian Philharmonic.

Over the years he received numerous prizes for his compositions among them four times the Preseren Prize, the highest award for Slovenian artists. He was also awarded the Herder Prize in Basel in 1964 and the Ordre des Palmes Academiques in Paris.
Lucijan Marija Škerjanc died on 27 February 1973 in Ljubljana (Yugoslavia at that time).

Concerto for clarinet, strings, percussion and harp

In my possession is the autograph piano reduction of the Concerto for clarinet, strings, percussion and harp by Lucijan Marija Skerjanc. The work was composed in 1958 and the score later published by the Society of Slovene Composers (DSS). My manuscript is a handwritten copy by Lucijan Marija Skerjanc which was made by him on 7 August 1962. He dated and signed it twice.