Scientific aspects about the origin of H. Fon Karayan

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Scientific aspects about the origin of H. Fon Karayan

I remember the year 1980 and manifestation “Struška muzička esen”, when Zdravko Blažeković – young Croatian musicologist surprised the audience with his essay about Teresa Maria and Daniel Fon Zefalović – “Composers, with Macedonian origin, at the end of the classic period, of that time European capitol Vienna.”
Frankly, I have to admit that it was a very strong moment for me, inspiring me for the further research in discovering the origin of the other already famous and great world personalities, above all: the origin of a Great Austrian Conductor Herbert Fon Karayan (Salzburg 05.04.1908 – 15.07.1989).
My origin is from Gevgelija (town in the south of Macedonia), I remember the wide spread Karayanovs’ family, in the closest neighborhood. First of all, Vančo Karayanov – director of the factory “Vinojug” for many years; Koljo Karayanov – craftsmen (old famous family, for many years using the shepherd farming as a basic existential source of the physical existence, and, on the other side, very important element for this essay; Ilija Karayanov – literature professor and famous poet; Pero Karayanov – my high school English professor, etc…
Karayanovs live in Skopje, too: Vlado Karayanov engineer in “Metalski Zavod Tito” – Skopje; Petar Karayanov – politician, and many others. Nevertheless, according to the academic Vlastimir Nikolovski’s statements, Karayanov family can be found in Zagreb, too.
Facts are speaking. Jean Lopen in his article “Herbert Fon Karayan – in memoriam”, in “Le Mond” from 22.07.1989, published in “Muzikalni Horizonti” (“Musical horizons”) nr.9 from 1989 – “Sojuz na muzikalnite dejci Sofia” (association of the Sofia music artists), translated from French to Bulgarian language by Ana Radoslavova says: “Herbert Fon Karayan’s ancestors (from his father’s side) were settled from Macedonia. His grand-grandfather’s surname was Karayanis, he emigrated in Saxon country 1792 and soon after that, he obtained his court title. Herbert’s father was a great, famous surgeon and enthusiastic music fan – he played on clarinet. His mother, Marta Kosmak, was Slovak by origin. The musician was born on April 5th, 1908 in Salzburg (Austria), in the land of Mozart…”
Similar is academic Vlastimir Nikolovski’s evidence about the famous Armenian composer and conductor Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) declaration. During the music festival “George Enesco”, 1964 in Bucharest, Khachaturian approached to Vlastimir Nikolovski: “Nikolovski, do you know that Karayan is Macedonian by origin… no, no, he proclaimed himself in the newspapers that he is Macedonian”. Professor Vlastimir Nikolovski, literary confirmed this statement on 26.02.1998.
Vančo Karayanov from Gevgelija declared the following: “Immigration process from the surrounding villages in Gevgelija has started; among the immigrants were Karayanov family, too. Bey’s army (Turkish rank) was prosecuting and killing immigrants. However, they did not kill Karayanovs little child because the people that were trading with Vienna took the child with them, and they found him a job in the bakery of some Macedonian in Vienna. When the child grown up he got married and detained the surname of Karayan… he was a grand-grandfather of Herbert Fon Karayan… All the story written above I have heard from my parents and my grandfather Gono Karajanov…” Declared in March 14, 1997, personally written and signed by Vančo Karayanov.
Very interesting is the statement of professor Dimitar Sagaev from Sofia: “Without any doubt we can underline Karayan’s particular interest towards Slavic composers and Slavic nations, too… Karayan visited former Soviet Union for about three times: 1962 with Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, 1964 with “La Skala” Symphony Orchestra and 1969 with Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1983 in Bulgaria, he appeared along with Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; it was a great successful performance of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Haydn etc. As a conductor and director in Milan he posed “Boris Gudunov” on the original Russian language… and on the age of 18 when he finished the conservatoire, as excellent pianist, he show up on his final diploma exam with Pančo Vladigerov’s first piano concerto.
Moreover, when the great conductors from the former Soviet Union were visiting our country, they were speaking with great certainty that Karayan’s origin is from Macedonia… from the Aegean Macedonia. In Bulgaria also, people were speaking that Karayan’s origin was from Macedonia, and they are right…” – 5th of January 1997, personally signed from Professor Dimitar Sagaev.
It is doubtless. The Great Austrian Conductor Herbert Fon Karayan is from Macedonian origin. “The truth was announced to the world by Karayan – personally”, as the composer Aram Hachaturian said: “because Karayan experienced different speculations from the Serbs, Greeks, Bulgarians, that he is Serb, Greek or Bulgarian”.

The great Austrian conductor – HERBERT FON KARAYAN, is of great importance for Macedonian genesis and culture because these great personalities enables our country an open approach to the European music capitals, first of all from the educational point of view.
Moreover, through this kind of “extreme personalities” world should be introduced with the very difficult life in those regions, and reasons of leaving thrown country, looking for better “tomorrow” in some other countries in the world. Alike and even more terrible exoduses Macedonian people have experienced for many times.

Skopje 20.05.1998

AuthorTome Mančev
2018-08-21T17:24:04+00:00 August 1st, 1998|Categories: Reviews, Blesok no. 04, Sound|0 Comments