Dr. Victor Urbancic, Austrian composer in Iceland. Photograph by
Jón Kaldal.
Dr. Victor Urbancic or Viktor Ernest Johann von Urbantschitsch (9 August 1903 – 4 April 1958) was an
Austriancomposer,
conductor, teacher and music scholar from
Vienna. He emigrated to
Iceland in 1938. His wife, Melitta, came from a Jewish family. Urbancic stayed for the second half of his life in Iceland and had a big influence[1] on the music development in the country at the time.
Urbancic worked as teacher and director of the opera studio at the Conservatory of
Graz before he came to Iceland in 1938. He also was lecturer of musicology of the University of Graz. In Iceland he was very important for the music-life. He became music director of the Icelandic National Theater in
Reykjavík.[2] He conducted the first opera in Iceland which was
Rigoletto by
Giuseppe Verdi in 1951. He taught at the
Reykjavík College of Music. He was organist and choir director of the
Landakotskirkja in Reykjavík. Urbancic died on
Good Friday in 1958 in
Reykjavík.
He is the grandson of
Viktor Urbantschitsch through his father, Dr. Ernst Urbantschitsch, and related to
Christoph Waltz through the latter's mother Elisabeth Urbancic.
Selected works
Caprices mignons for piano, Op. 1
Sonatina in G major for piano, Op. 2
Sonata No. 1 in F♯ minor for violin and piano, Op. 3
Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano, Op. 5
Vier Lieder (4 Songs), Op. 6
Partita for cello and piano, Op. 7
Elizabeth for voice and piano, Op. 8
Fantasie und Fuge for viola and piano, Op. 9 (1937)
Orchesterkonzert (Concerto for Orchestra), Op. 11
Fimm Þættir (5 Factors) for 2 trumpets, horn, 2 trombones and piano, Op. 12
Concertino for 3 saxophones and string orchestra, Op. 13
Ballade for violin and piano
Gamanforleikur (Festive Prelude) in C major for orchestra
Konzertrondo (Concert Rondo) for 2 pianos
Mouvement de valse for piano
Ouvertüre zu einer Komödie (Overture to a Comedy) for orchestra (1952)
^Rudolf Habringer: Emigration an den Rand der Welt. Die Geschichte des Musikers Victor Urbancic, in: Zwischenwelt. Literatur, Widerstand, Exil, Jg. 20, H. 2, Wien: 2003, S. 33-41.