Johann Baptist Novak (, 1756 â January 29, 1833) was a Slovene composer.
Novak was born in Ljubljana, at that time part of the Holy Roman Empire, 1756. He died in Ljubljana on January 29, 1833.
He made his living as an official in the provincial administration, but at the same time he actively participated in Ljubljana's musical life as a singer, violinist, and composer. Novak was one of the rare representatives of musical classicism in the Slovene territory. He was one of the founding members of the Ljubljana Philharmonic Society in 1794. He participated in the society's orchestra (the predecessor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra) as its concertmaster in 1799 and 1800, and from 1808 to 1825 he was the artistic director of this ensemble.
In 1790 he composed incidental music titled Figaro to Linhart's play Ta veseli dan ali MatiÃÂek se à ¾eni. Due to the quality of his music, the theatrical play approached opera in character. Along with some cantatas, this is one of Novak's more prominent musical works, most of which have been lost.
In 2007, Novak's "Birthday Cantata" ( 'Cantata for a Mother's Birthday or Namesday') was performed for the first time in Ljubljana. It is not known when it was written. It is preserved in the archives of the in Trieste. This cantataâÂÂwritten for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass accompanied by a small orchestra (flute, string quartet, and double bass) to a German text by an unknown author that celebrates maternal loveâÂÂwas written by Novak for the celebration of the birthday of a lady in some noble or wealthy bourgeois house.