He was born and spent his childhood in Braväcovo in Horehronie in an old musicians’ family of Braväcovo bagpipers. His father Július was a forest worker and in his native village and nearby area, he was also known as a skilled carver and sought-after bagpiper. His grandfather Michal Libica also played bagpipes.

From 1951, Ladislav Libica grew up in Brezno, where he later started a family and raised three sons. As a trained electrician, he was professionally connected to the Brezno Forge throughout his life, where he worked uninterrupted for over forty years. Alongside influences from his family, he began to lean more towards traditional culture after seeing the film “Rodná zem” in 1954 and a dance performance by the SĽUK folk ensemble at the Brezno football stadium. The following year, at the age of fifteen, he was already dancing in the Mostár folklore ensemble, which had just been formed in Brezno at that time. There, he met many inspiring musicians, among others, who further drew him towards folk music.

He had already enjoyed playing his father’s flutes, and on his way to apprentice school in Banská Bystrica, he played a pennywhistle that he bought. Through children from Lučatín who teased him, he got to a well-known musical instrument maker, Ján Plieštik – apparently, he makes prettier and better flutes. He visited him as the first maker of folk musical instruments and bought a paired pipe from him. Later, he also guided him a bit towards his first fujara to Jozef Rybár in Detva.

Ladislav Libica made his own fujara in 1962 after returning from the war. His father drilled it out for him and introduced him to playing, he just adjusted the holes, carved decorations, and burned it with acid. He drew inspiration from decorated Kashmir scarves. He got caught up in production and collected information on making flutes and fujaras in his immediate and wider surroundings (besides Ján Plieštik and Jozef Rybár, also at Peter Paciga) while constantly trying to produce and play.

He fully engaged in production in the mid-70s, when he also entered the newly created Instrumentum Excellens competition for musical instrument makers within the Folklore Festivities under Poľana in Detva. In the first cycle of this competition from 1975 – 1985, he was awarded three times for fujaras (1975, 1976, 1978) and once for a flute (1985). After 1985, the competition continued until 1992 focusing on the interpretation of playing folk musical instruments. In this cycle as well, Ladislav Libica was awarded twice as a fujara player and flutist (1986, 1989). He was also successful in the last cycle of the competition, focusing again on the production of folk musical instruments, which began in 2001 and continues to this day, where he was awarded in 2001 and 2002.

He always had clarity in making flutes and fujaras. Order in his workshop corresponded to the organization of his thoughts. Moreover, he was persistent and tireless, which elevated his lifelong passion – the production of traditional aerophones and playing them – to a masterful level.

That’s why he was awarded the title of Master of Folk Art Production in 2011 for preserving and developing traditional production in this area of folk art.

Source: Mikolaj, Tomáš: Masters of the New Millennium [online]. Bratislava: Center for Folk Art Production, 2020 [retrieved 2024-05-29]. Available at: https://uluv.sk/kniznica/digital-na-kniznica/