Ivan Božičević (1961), composer, organist, pianist, arranger and jazz musician. He studied composition in Belgrade with A. Obradović and organ in Frankfurt with E. Krapp. He lives in Split as a composition professor at the Academy of Arts. His opus encompasses four symphonic works, as well as numerous chamber, choral, soloistic and electronic compositions. He is interested in a variety of genres (baroque, electronic, jazz, world music) and the possibility of “cross-fertilizations“ between those genres. His works are performed and recorded all over Europe and the USA , issued at 19 CD-s, printed by several US publishers (Walton Music, EC Schirmer, Abundant Silence, Hinshaw) and in Germany (Schott).

Along with the recognitions at home (Stevan Hristić Award, Silver Medal of the Belgrade University of Arts), Božičević has received numerous composition prizes abroad – ArtsLink Fellowship Award, Garth Newel Composition Award, Third Millenium Ensemble Award, Alienor Harpsichord Composition Award, Asylum Saxophone Quartet Prize, AGO/ECS Publishing Prize, AGO/Marilyn Mason Prize, Random Access Music Award, International Clarinet Association Prize, (USA), Trio Anima Mundi Prize (Australia), John Clare Society Award, Invitation to Composers Project (Great Britain), award at the Prague Philharmonic Choir Competition (Czech Republic), „Sofia soloists ensemble” award (Bulgaria), Premio Cristóbal Halffter (Spain).

About the piece

As in many of my earlier pieces, in The Quietude of StonesI seek for the logically pure and clearly structured form, which allows the subjective, lyrical elements of expression to shine through. The composition is based on a strictly implemented harmonic progression. From one chord to the next, only one of the five voices descends by a semitone, while the other four remain static.