In 1998, on the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death, the Filli family had a memorial plaque attached to his birthplace. The composer’s daughter, Tolmin’s renowned culture professional, still lives in the house.
Vinko Filli
Vinko Filli (1879–1948) was a choir director, composer and culture professional from Tolmin. While he received his elementary music education from a local teacher, Sattler, it was Danilo Fajgelj, a composer, organist and teacher in Tolmin who was a major formative influence and who taught him to play the harmonium.
At the age of eighteen, Vinko Filli obtained the post of a clerk with the municipal notary public, but continued to pursue his musical education. He taught himself organ, violin, cello, piccolo and bracs tamboura. Over this period, Filli was a highly committed member of the Artisanal Reading Society, serving as its choir director, conductor and president. He conducted a mixed choir and tamboura orchestra.
After World War I, Filli reinstated the Artisanal Reading Society, whose activities included a choir and tamboura orchestra. Following mounting pressure from the fascist authorities (there were as many as five searches of Filli’s house over eleven months), in 1923 Filli received a telegram from Rome forcing him into retirement. He nevertheless continued to foster rich Slovenian choral life until 1927, when a panel of fascist administrative officers governing the border provinces officially disbanded all Slovenian cultural societies. Filli continued with his musical activities, this time conducting a church choir.
Filli primarily composed secular choral works, but also religious music, including Venček narodnih za dvoglasni ženski zbor, Nikar ne sprašujte, Vagabund, Moč ljubezni, Tantum ergo and Božični tantum ergo (Medley of National Tunes for Two-part Female Choir, Don’t Ask, Vagabond, The Power of Love, Tantum ergo and Christmas tantum ergo).
Maia Juvanc
