George Slatkonia
George Slatkonia was a Carniolan choirmaster and the first residential Bishop of Vienna. He was also the first owner of an ex libris among the Slovenes. His coat of arms contained a golden horse, based on a false etymology of his surname.
Life
Born in Ljubljana, Slatkonia studied in Ljubljana, in 1474 in Ingolstadt, and then starting in 1475 in Vienna, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1477 at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1495, he was a chaplain and cantor at the court in Vienna; he was also the canon and provost of the Diocese of Ljubljana. In 1498, he was appointed the singing master of the choir, later known as the Vienna Boys' Choir. In 1500 he became chapel master of the, and in 1513 the senior chapel master. In 1499, he was named the second provost of the Novo Mesto College Chapter. In 1513, he was given the position of the Bishop of Vienna, although he continued to work as the main music organiser in the city and probably also himself composed. His name first appears Slovenised as Juri Zlatkonja in 1849, and then Zladkonja in 1877, Jurij Slatkonja in 1881, and Jurij Sladkonja in 1892.
Legacy
As a leader who fostered a bridge between faith and art, Slatkonia left a legacy in Vienna as well as in Slovenia. In 2022, Slovenia observed the 500th anniversary of his death. The George Slatkonia Conservatory of Music, founded by the Diocese of Novo Mesto, is named after him. Since 2006, the golden horse in Slatkonja's coat of arms has been part of the coat of arms of the Diocese of Novo Mesto. The music award for new liturgical music in Vienna has been named after Slatkonja.