Emil Hlobil (11 October 1901 – 25 January 1987) was a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
*Czech, ...
composer and music professor based in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
.
Biography
Hlobil was born in
Veselí nad Lužnicí
Veselí nad Lužnicí (; german: Wesseli an der Lainsitz) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,300 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Lužnice and Nežárka rivers.
Administrat ...
, but lived most of his life in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Between 1924 and 1930 he studied at the
Prague Conservatory
The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...
under
Josef Suk and
Jaroslav Křička
Jaroslav Křička (; 27 August 1882 in Kelč, Moravia – 23 January 1969 in Prague) was a Czech people, Czech composer, Conducting, conductor, and Music education, music teacher. He was the brother of poet Petr Křička:de:Petr_Křička, e...
, and taught music and composition at the
Prague Academy of Performing Arts. He also taught at the
Prague Conservatory
The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...
(1941–58) before moving to the Academy. He married Czech painter
Marie-Hlobilová Mrkvičková, and after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
they bought a cottage in the
Krkonoše
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massi ...
mountains as a summer home. Hlobil died in Prague in 1987.
Music
Hlobil composed in the Romantic tradition of the Nineteenth Century, almost untouched by modern trends, which was possibly a reflection of the politics of the time and place. A review by ''Gramaphone'' in 1961 described him as follows:
Emil Hlobil, 60-year-old professor of composition at the Prague Conservatoire, has the most original creative imagination of our twelve composers, I would say. In his Quartet for harpsichord and string trio (1944) , he uses a fairly simple diatonic idiom, but shows a Janacek-like boldness in his apparently inconsequential changing of the subject, his close working-out of a few motives, and his ability to create fascinating textures. Although his self-made technique is not nearly as successful as Janacek's—his material does not stand up to so much repetition, and he sometimes falls into empty naïveté (codetta of first movement and much of the finale), this refreshingly imaginative work makes one want to hear more recent examples from his long list of compositions.
Hlobil's works include operas, symphonies, concertos and string quartets in the Czech
Impressionist
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
tradition of Suk and
Vítězslav Novák
Vítězslav Augustín Rudolf Novák (5 December 1870 – 18 July 1949) was a Czech composer and academic teacher at the Prague Conservatory. Stylistically, he was part of the neo-romantic tradition, and his music is considered an important e ...
.
Selected works
;Stage
* ''Anna Karenina'', Opera in 3 acts, Op. 60 (1962); libretto by the composer after a dramatization of
Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by Nicolai Volkov
* ''Měšťák šlechticem'' (Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme), Opera in 3 acts, Op. 67 (1967); libretto by the composer after
the play by
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
* ''Kráska a zvíře'' (Beauty and the Beast), Ballet in 3 acts, Op. 96 (1976); libretto by Milan Fridrich after
František Hrubín
František Hrubín (17 September 1910 – 1 March 1971) was a Czech poet and writer.
Frantisek Hrubín was born into the family of a builder at Prague. His family lived in Lešany near Prague during World War I, and Hrubín visited his home ...
* ''Král Václav IV.'' (King
Wenceslaus IV
Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; cs, Václav; german: Wenzel, nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he w ...
), Opera in 5 scenes, Op. 107 (1981); libretto by the composer after the play by
;Orchestral
* Suite, Op. 4
* ''Weekend'', Suite, Op. 6
* Sinfonietta, Op. 19
* ''Zpěv mládí'' (Song of Youth), Op. 22
* ''Tryzna mučedníkům'', Op. 25
* ''Park oddechu'', Suite for small orchestra, Op. 28
* ''Lidová veselice'' (Folk Celebration), Suite for small orchestra, Op. 32
* Symphony No. 1, Op. 31 (1949)
* ''Léto v Krkonoších'' (Summer in the Krkonoše Mountains), Op. 33 (1957)
* Symphony No. 2 ''"Den vítězství"'' (Victory Day), Op. 38 (1951)
* ''Valašskou dědinou'' (
Moravian Wallachia
Moravian Wallachia ( cs, Moravské Valašsko, or simply ''Valašsko''; ro, Valahia Moravă) is a mountainous ethnoregion located in the easternmost part of Moravia in the Czech Republic, near the Slovak border, roughly centered on the cities Vs ...
Village), Suite, Op. 39
* Serenade, Op. 49
* ''Slavnostní znělka'' (1954); written for the
1954 World Ice Hockey Championships
The 21st Ice Hockey World Championships and 32nd European ice hockey championships were held from 26 February to 7 March 1954 in Stockholm, Sweden. Every team played each other once with the top three finishers receiving medals at the end. The ...
in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
* Symphony No. 3, Op. 53 (1956–1957)
* Symphony No. 4, Op. 58 (1959)
* ''Svátek práce'' (Labor Day), Symphonic Poem, Op. 59 (1960)
* Concerto for string orchestra, Op. 62
* Sonata No. 1 for chamber string orchestra, Op. 68
* ''Filharmonický koncert'', Op. 66 (1965)
* Symphony No. 5, Op. 76
* Symphony No. 6 for chamber string orchestra (1972)
* Symphony No. 7, Op. 87 (1973)
* ''Cesta živých'' (Chemin des Vivants), Op. 92 (1974)
* ''Jubilace'' (Jubilation; Giubilazione), Symphonic Movement, Op. 100 (1977)
* ''Exclamationes''
* ''Invocazione''
* ''Jaro v pražských zahradách'' (Spring in the Prague Gardens), Suite
* ''Slovanská družba'', March
;Concertante
* Concerto for violin and orchestra, Op. 47 (published 1958)
* ''Rhapsodie'' for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 51 (1960)
* Concerto for accordion and orchestra, Op. 54
* Concerto for organ and orchestra, Op. 61 (1963)
* Concerto for double bass and orchestra, Op. 70 (1967)
* ''Contemplazione'' for viola and string orchestra, Op. 75 (1969)
* Concerto for winds and percussion, Op. 82 (1972)
* Concerto for marimba and orchestra (1979)
* Concerto for cello and orchestra, Op. 106 (1983)
;Chamber music
* Quintet for 2 violins, 2 violas and cello, Op. 1 (1925)
* ''5 Invence'' (5 Inventions) for 2 violins (1935)
* ''Dvě nokturna'' (2 Nocturnes) for cello and piano, Op. 9 (1935)
* Serenade for violin and piano, Op. 12a (1935–1936)
* ''Burleska'' for violin and piano, Op. 12b (1935–1936)
* Sonatina for violin and piano, Op. 13 (1936)
* String Quartet No. 2, Op. 15 (1935–1936)
* Piano Trio, Op. 18 (1939)
* Quintet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn, Op. 20
* Sonata for horn and piano, Op. 21 (1942)
* Quartet for harpsichord, violin, viola and cello, Op. 23 (1943)
* ''Jarní impromptu'' (Spring Impromptu; Impromptu di primavera) for cello and piano, Op. 24 (1944)
* ''Andante amabile'' for oboe (or violin) and piano (1947)
* ''Andante pastorale'' for horn and piano (1947)
* ''Allegro leggiero'' for oboe (or violin) and piano, Op. 26b (1950)
* Nonet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass, Op. 27 (1946)
* Divertimento for bassoon and piano, Op. 29 (1948)
* ''Arie a rondo'' (Aria and Rondo) for horn and piano, Op. 37 (published 1969)
* ''Canto emozionante'' for trombone and piano, Op. 43 (1967)
* String Quartet No. 3, Op. 50 (1955)
* String Quartet No. 4
* Octet for 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and 2 horns, Op. 52 (1956)
* ''Tři skladby'' (3 Pieces) for violin and piano, Op. 56 (1958)
* Sonata for violin and piano, Op. 57 (1958–1959)
* ''Intermezzo'' for trumpet and piano (published 1965)
* Sonata for flute and piano (1966)
* Sonata for trumpet and piano, Op. 71 (1967)
* ''Aria e rondo'' for oboe and harp (1968)
* ''Intermezzo'' for 2 accordions (published 1969)
* Sonata for bass clarinet and piano, Op. 80
* String Quartet No. 5, Op. 81 (1971)
* Sonata for 2 cellos, Op. 88 (1973)
* Sonata for trombone and piano, Op. 86 (1973)
* ''Tři monology'' (3 Monologues) for clarinet solo, Op. 90 (1973)
* Sonata for oboe and piano, Op. 91 (1974)
* Quartet for 4 saxophones, Op. 93 (1973)
* ''Sonáta vzpomínek'' (Souvenir Sonata; Sonata di evocazioni) for flute, guitar and cello, Op. 95 (1975)
* ''Canto pensieroso'' for tenor saxophone and piano, Op. 97 (1976)
* Trio for violin, guitar and accordion, Op. 98 (1976)
* Trio for clarinet, marimba and piano, Op. 98b (1976, 1983)
* Sonata for clarinet and piano, Op. 103 (1978)
* ''Marcato di Danza'' for 4 saxophones (1978)
* ''Dva monology'' (2 Monologues) for violin solo
* ''Komorní hudba'' (Chamber Music) for 2 clarinets, basset horn and bass clarinet
* Quartet for winds
* Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon
;Organ
* ''Preludium a toccata'' (Prelude and Toccata) (1948)
* ''Aria e Toccata'', Op. 46 (1964)
* ''Invokace'' (Invocation; Invocazione) (1957)
* ''Apoteosa'', Op. 89 (1973)
;Piano
* ''Dvě skladby'' (3 Pieces), Op. 2 (published 1932)
* Sonata for 2 pianos, Op. 55 (1958)
* Sonata No. 1 for piano, Op. 72 (1968)
* Sonata No. 2 for piano, Op. 73 (1968)
* ''Imaginace'' (Imagination) for piano 4-hands, Op. 101 (1977)
* ''Introdukce''
* ''Pět skladeb'' (5 Pieces)
* ''Tanec'' (Dance)
;Vocal
* ''Tři písně'' (3 Songs) for voice and piano, Op. 8 (1933)
* ''Cesta živých'' (Chemin des Vivants), 4 Songs for medium voice and piano, Op. 83
* ''Evocazioni'' for soprano, flute and alto flute (1968)
;Choral
* ''Panachida'', Apotheosis for mixed voices a cappella (1971)
Notable students
*
Milan Kymlička
*
Luboš Fišer
Luboš Fišer (30 September 1935 – 22 June 1999) was a Czech composer, born in Prague. He was known both for his soundtracks and chamber music. From 1952 to 1956 he studied composition at the Prague Conservatory
The Prague Conservatory ...
*
Ladislav Kubík
Ladislav Kubík (26 August 1946 – 27 October 2017) was a Czech-American composer. His style is associated with other post-war Eastern European composers, such as Krzysztof Penderecki and Witold Lutosławski.
He graduated from the Music and Danc ...
*
Otomar Kvěch
Otomar Kvěch (25 May 1950 – 16 March 2018) was a Czech music composer and teacher.
Biography
Kvěch was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. His father was a sound engineer with Czechoslovak Radio, and later held technical jobs in various industrial ...
*
Ivana Loudová
*
Zuzana Růžičková
Zuzana Růžičková () (14 January 1927 – 27 September 2017) was a Czech harpsichordist. An interpreter of classical and baroque music, Růžičková was the first harpsichordist to record Johann Sebastian Bach's complete works for keyboard, ...
*
Viktor Kalabis
*
Jindřich Feld
Jindřich Feld (February 19, 1925 in Prague, Czechoslovakia – July 8, 2007 in Prague, Czech Republic) was a Czech composer of classical music.
Feld was born into a musical family, his father a well-known professor of violin at the Prague C ...
*
Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer () (born 17 April 1948) is a Czech-American musician, composer, and record producer. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as his film scores fo ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hlobil, Emil
1901 births
1987 deaths
20th-century classical composers
Czech classical composers
Czech male classical composers
Czech opera composers
Male opera composers
Academics of the Prague Conservatory
Czech music educators
People from Veselí nad Lužnicí
Musicians from Prague
Prague Conservatory alumni
20th-century Czech male musicians