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ΒΙΟGRAPHY OF NIKOS SKALKOTTAS

[ from The Friends of NIKOS SKALKOTTAS ` S Music Society ]

Nikos Skalkottas was born in Halkis in 1904
and died in Athens in 1949. At an early age he
started violin lessons with his musician father
and uncle.
He continued studying at the Athens
Conservatory and graduated in 1920.
From 1921 to 1933 he lived in Berlin, where he
first took violin lessons with Willy Hess.
In 1923 he decided to give up his career as a
violinist and become a composer. He studied
composition with Paul Kahn, Paul Juon, Kurt
Weill, Philipp Jarnach and Arnold Schönberg.
In 1933, when Hitler came to power, Skalkottas
returned to Athens, where he earned a living
playing in different orchestras. Skalkottas’s
early works, most of which he wrote in Berlin
and some of those written in Athens, are lost.
The earliest of his works available to us today
are dating from 1922-24 and are piano compositions as well as the orchestration of
«Cretan Feast» by Dimitris Mitropoulos.
Among the later works written in Berlin are the sonata for solo violin, several works
for piano, chamber music and some symphonic works. During the period 1931-
1934 Skalkottas did not compose anything. He started composing again in Athens
continued until he died. His works comprise symphonic works (Greek Dances,
The symphonic overture Return of Ulysses, The fairy drama Mayday Spell, The second
symphonic suite, the ballet The Maiden and Death, The Classical Symphony for winds,
a Sinfonietta and several concertos), Chamber music works, as well as vocal works
and music pieces for solo instrument.

Skalkottas died unexpectedly in 1949, leaving some symphonic works with
incomplete orchestration.

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