Marián Jurík

PaedDr. Marián Jurík was a Slovak musicologist, critic, publicist, editor, and dramaturge. He was active in musical journalism, working as an editor at the daily newspaper Smena (1964 – 1968), and in 1969 became a founding editor of the music magazine Hudobný život, serving as its first editor-in-chief from 1969 to 1972.

He led and co-authored several major publications, including the Malej encyklopédie hudby (Small Encyclopedia of Music, 1969), Malej encyklopédie filmu (Small Encyclopedia of Film, 1974), Encyklopédie dramatického umenia na Slovensku (Encyclopedia of Dramatic Arts in Slovakia, 1989, 1990), Hudobného terminologického slovníka (Dictionary of Musical Terminology, 1998) a publikácie 100 slovenských skladateľov (100 Slovak Composers, 1998). He also authored several monographs on famous performers such as Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Maria Callas, and David Oistrakh.

In addition to Hudobný život, Marián Jurík published in various newspapers and scholarly journals, including Slovenská hudba, Slovenské divadlo, Film a divadlo, Hudební rozhledy, Ľudová tvorivosť, Pravda, Práca, Smena, Ľud, Večerník, and others. Besides reviews and critiques, he wrote many articles about important figures in musical life, commemorating their anniversaries or deaths, as well as reports from both domestic and international music festivals.

The peak of Marián Jurík’s creative and professional career was his tenure as Artistic Director of the Opera of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava from 1983 to 1988. He developed a precise dramaturgical plan, introduced multiple castings for roles, and gave opportunities to young artists and Music Fund scholarship holders. He increased the number of premieres and significantly contributed to the presentation of Slovak operas.

He was also a regular external collaborator of the Music Broadcasting Department of Slovak Radio, a lecturer at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU), and a jury member in international competitions.