Born 9 August 1930 in Cieszyn, Poland. After graduating from
the Polish grammar school in Cieszyn in
1949, he entered the State Higher School of Music in Katowice. In 1952 his
family was forced to move to Bratislava where he resumed studies at the Academy
of Music and Drama. He studied piano with Frico Kafenda and Štefan
Németh-Šamorínsky (1952-56) and later composition in the class of Dezider
Kardoš (1961-66). Until 1967, he worked at the Sound Studio of the Czechoslovak
Television and taught piano at the Bratislava Conservatory. From 1969 to 1971
he taught contemporary music at the Department of Theory of the Academy of
Music and Drama.
As a supporter of the 'Prague Spring' he was expelled from the Union of Slovak
Composers and denied employment. He turned towards research: among others he
collaborated with ethnomusicologist I. Mačák, and starting in 1984 together
with Prof. B. Riečan he led independent seminars on 'Music and Mathematics'. In
1977-90 he worked at the Institute of Art of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
In 1990 he chaired the committee for the reform of musical education. He was a
member of Ministry of Culture Advisory Board (1990-91) and joined in the
successful effort to revive the Czechoslovak and later Slovak Section of the
International Society for Contemporary Music. In 1990 he withdrew from the
'new' Association of Slovak Composers. In 1990, 1992, 1995 and 1998 he was a
member of the jury at the Witold Lutosławski International Composers'
Competition in Warsaw.
In 1988 Roman Berger was awarded by the F. V. S. Foundation in Hamburg and by
the University of Vienna with the prestigious Herder Prize for accomplishments
in composition and music theory and in 1999 became an honorary member of the
Polish Composers' Union.
Other awards: 1967 - Ján Levoslaw Bella Award and
Czechoslovak Critics' Award for Transformations performed at the ISCM festival;
1974 - Honorary Mention at the International Electroacustic Music Competition
in Bourges for Epitaph for Nicolaus Copernicus; 1980 - First Prize in the City
of Piešt'any Competition for De profundis; 1989 - Union of Slovak Composers
Award for Exodus for organ; 1990 - Diploma of the Czechoslovak Critics for
Adagio II – „Repentance“; 1997 - Critics' Award; 2000 - Grand Prix of Slovak
Performing and Mechanical Rights Society, 2007 – Award of Ministry of Culture
of Slovak Republic
Roman Berger wrote extensively on topics of musicology and philosophy of music.
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