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Jaroslav Křička (; 27 August 1882 in Kelč, Moravia – 23 January 1969 in Prague) was a Czech
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...
,
conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...
, and music teacher. He was the brother of poet
Petr Křička Petr is a Czech given name for males and a Czech surname. Petr is the Czech form of ''Peter''. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politic ...
e/sup>.


Life

Jaroslav Křička was born into the family of the Kelč village cantor and headmaster František Křička (1848–1891) as the oldest of three siblings. His mother was Františka Křičková (1861-1936). His brother Petr Křička (1884–1949) later became a well-known poet, and his sister Pavla Křičková (1886–1972) became a writer. Their father enthusiastically supported the musical education of his children; Jaroslav received violin, piano, and voice lessons as a child. He attended high school in Havlíčkův Brod and graduated in 1900. As a high school student, he founded his own vocal quartet,
string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...
, and student orchestra and began to compose. After graduating from high school, he moved to Prague and studied at the Prague Conservatory from 1902 to 1905. Under the tutelage of Josef Klicka, he studied
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
,
orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orc ...
, and
harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
. He studied conducting with Karel Knittl s/sup> and composition with Karel Stecker s/sup>. His musical role models were the famous Czech composers
Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...
, Bedřich Smetana, and Zdeněk Fibich, and later also the Czech
modernists Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
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 ...
and
Josef Suk Josef Suk may refer to: * Josef Suk (composer) (1874–1935), Czech composer and violinist * Josef Suk (violinist) (1929–2011), his grandson, Czech violinist and conductor {{Hndis, Suk, Josef ...
. After studying for a year in Berlin (1905–1906), he moved to Russia for three years (1906–1909) and taught
music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...
, harmony, and
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
at the Imperial Music School in Ekaterinoslav. There he founded an orchestra with which he performed works by Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana. In Russia, he developed friendships with the composers
Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov; ger, Glasunow (, 10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 ...
and Sergei Tanejev. Křička was inspired by Russian poetry and music, and the work of composers
Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka ( rus, link=no, Михаил Иванович Глинка, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka., mʲɪxɐˈil ɪˈvanəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡlʲinkə, Ru-Mikhail-Ivanovich-Glinka.ogg; ) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recogni ...
and Modest Mussorgsky particularly influenced his compositions. It was in Ekaterinoslav that he penned one of his most famous songs, "Albatross," from the cycle ''Severní noci'' ''(Northern Nights)''. Mussorgsky's song cycles for children also inspired him to compose his own children's songs. Křička moved to Prague in 1909, and from 1911 to 1920 he directed the Prague choir Hlahol s/sup>. His tenure as director afforded him the opportunity to study numerous works by contemporary Czech composers such as Leoš Janáček, Vítězslav Novák, and Otakar Jeremiáš, in addition to premiering Novák's cantata ''Svatební košile (The Wedding Shirt)'', Op.48. During this period, he also began his first major work: the opera ''Hipolyta''. From 1911 he championed his former teacher Karel Stecker at the Prague Conservatory, and after Stecker's death in 1919 he was appointed as a full professor of composition. On October 14, 1918, he married Marie Krbová, a pianist and singer in the Hlahol choir who studied under Josef Bohuslav Foerster. Together with his student
Jaroslav Řídký Jaroslav Řídký (25 August 1897 – 14 August 1956) was a Czech composer, conductor, harpist, and music teacher. Life Řídký was born at Reichenberg, now Liberec. From 1919 to 1923 he studied at the Prague Conservatory with Josef Bohus ...
, Křička conducted the choir of the
Czech Philharmonic The Česká filharmonie (Czech Philharmonic) is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra's principal concert venue is the Rudolfinum. History The name "Czech Philharmonic Orchestra" appeared for the first time in 1894, as the title ...
from 1922 to 1930. During the critical years of World War II and the German occupation (1942–1945), he also served as
rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of the Conservatory. During his many years of teaching at the Prague Conservatory, Jaroslav Křička trained numerous composers, including Jaroslav Řídký, Karel Hába,
Emil Hlobil Emil Hlobil (11 October 1901 – 25 January 1987) was a Czech composer and music professor based in Prague. Biography Hlobil was born in Veselí nad Lužnicí, but lived most of his life in Prague. Between 1924 and 1930 he studied at the Prague ...
, Karel Janeček, Václav Trojan,
Ján Cikker Ján Cikker (29 July 1911 – 21 December 1989) was a Slovaks, Slovak composer, a leading exponent of modern Slovak European classical music, classical music. He was awarded the title ''National Artist'' in Slovakia, the Herder Prize (1966) and th ...
,
Jan Kapr Jan Kapr (12 March 1914, in Prague – 29 April 1988, in Prague) was one of the most prolific Czech composers of the second half of the 20th century. Life He studied at the Prague Conservatory, as a pupil of Jaroslav Řídký, and at the master ...
and
Jarmil Burghauser Jarmil Michael Burghauser (born Jarmil Michael Mokrý, 21 October 1921, Písek19 February 1997, Prague) was a Czech composer, conductor, and musicologist. After the short-lived Prague Spring, he incurred the disfavor of his country's Communist r ...
. He spent the last years of his life in the peaceful foothills of the Bohemian forest, where he dedicated himself to his composing in the village of Červené Dvorce near
Sušice Sušice (; german: Schüttenhofen) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administr ...
. He is buried in the Vyšehrad cemetery in Prague.


Honors

In 1936, Jaroslav Křička won a bronze medal in the art competitions of the Olympic Games for his ''Horácká suita (
Horácko Horácko is a cultural and ethnographic region in the western part of Moravia and middle part of present-day Czech Republic. Geography The area forms the eastern part of the administrative region of Vysočina and small parts of South Moravian ...
Suite'' a.k.a. ''Mountain Suite)'', Op. 63. He was elected a member of the
Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts 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, ...
in 1921, and in 1957 he received the esteemed title of Honored Artist (Zasloužilý umělec). The Křička Brothers Museum is located in his hometown of Kelč.


Works

Jaroslav Křička's work encompasses almost all musical genres, in his words, “from passions to
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...
,” with a distinct emphasis on
vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production i ...
compositions. In addition to song cycles and
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...
s, he also composed operas, operettas,
incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...
,
symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...
, string quartets, and chamber music works. His compositions for children were significant and unique for his time; he wrote numerous children's song cycles and the first Czech children's opera, ''Ogaři'' (1918). At the end of the silent film era, Křička began composing film scores; in 1929, he wrote the music for the historical film ''Svatý Václav'', which commemorated one thousand years since the death of the Bohemian ruler Wenceslaus I. He began composing operettas after 1945. In addition to his musical compositions, Křička wrote many treatises on music and published regularly in the music periodicals ''Hudební revue'' and ''Hudební rozhledy''.


Song Cycles

* ''Severní noci (Northern Nights)'', Op. 14 (1909/1910), four songs based on poetry by
Konstantin Balmont Konstantin Dmitriyevich Balmont ( rus, Константи́н Дми́триевич Бальмо́нт, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪdʑ bɐlʲˈmont, a=Konstantin Dmitriyevich Bal'mont.ru.vorb.oga; – 23 December 1942) was a Rus ...
** 1. Albatros (Albatross) ** 2. Labuť (Swan) ** 3. Ukolébavka (Lullaby) ** 4. U skandinávských skal (By the cliffs of Scandinavia) * ''O lásce a smrti (On Love and Death)'', Op. 15 (1910), four songs on texts by
Konstantin Balmont Konstantin Dmitriyevich Balmont ( rus, Константи́н Дми́триевич Бальмо́нт, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪdʑ bɐlʲˈmont, a=Konstantin Dmitriyevich Bal'mont.ru.vorb.oga; – 23 December 1942) was a Rus ...
* ''Písně rozchodu (Farewell Songs)'', Op. 19 (1916), four songs based on texts by Otakar Theer s/sup> * ''Tři bajky pro soprán a klavír (Three Fables for soprano and piano),'' (1917), based on fairytales by Božena Němcová and Alexander Afanasyev's fables * ''Jaro pacholátko (Spring Child)'', Op. 29 (1919), three recitatives for high voice and piano * ''Jiříčkovy písničky (Little Jiří's Songs)'', Op. 36 (1917, 1922-1923), collection of children's songs * ''Daniny písničky a říkadla (Dana's Songs and Rhymes)'', Op. 49 (1928), children's songs and rhymes for toddlers * ''Míšovy písničky (Míša's Songs)'' (1932), collection of children's songs * ''Naše paní Božena Němcová (Our Lady Božena Němcová)'', Op. 112 (1954), five songs for mezzo-soprano and orchestra based on texts by
František Halas František Halas (3 October 1901 in Brno – 27 October 1949 in Prague) was one of the most significant Czech lyric poets of the 20th century, an essayist, and a translator. Life Born as the son of textile worker, Halas worked as bookseller. ...
.


Cantatas

* ''Pokušení na poušti (Temptation in the Desert),'' Op. 34 (1922), cantata for soli, choir, orchestra, and organ based on the Gospel of Matthew (text from the
Kralice Bible The Bible of Kralice, also called the Kralice Bible ( cs, Bible kralická), was the first complete translation of the Bible from the original languages into Czech. Translated by the Unity of the Brethren and printed in Kralice nad Oslavou, the ...
) * ''Studentské vzpomínky (Student Memories)'', cantata for soli, choir, and orchestra * ''Tyrolské elegie ( Tyrolean Elegies)'', Op. 52 (1930), cantata for soli, male choir, and orchestra based on a poem by Karel Havlíček Borovský * ''Moravská kantáta ( Moravian Cantata)'', Op. 65 (1935) for mixed choir, soli, and orchestra * ''Valašská jitřní mše ( Wallachian Morning Mass)'' (1941) for soli, mixed choir, and orchestra on a text by František Táborský * ''Requiem in memoriam fratris dilectissimi'', op. 96 (1949) in memory of his brother
Petr Křička Petr is a Czech given name for males and a Czech surname. Petr is the Czech form of ''Peter''. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politic ...


Orchestral works

* ''1. Symphony in D minor'' ("Jarní") (1905), "Spring Symphony" * ''2nd symphony in a minor'' ("Letní") (1907), "Summer Symphony" * ''Modrý pták (Blue Bird)'', Op. 16 (1911), overture to the fairytale play by Maurice Maeterlinck. * ''Adventus'', Op. 33 (1921) * ''Horácká suita'' ''(
Horácko Horácko is a cultural and ethnographic region in the western part of Moravia and middle part of present-day Czech Republic. Geography The area forms the eastern part of the administrative region of Vysočina and small parts of South Moravian ...
Suite'' a.k.a. ''Mountain Suite)'', Op. 63 (1936) won 3rd prize in the composition competition in the 1936 Summer Olympics


Chamber music

* ''1st String Quartet in D major'' ("Ruský") (1907), "Russian String Quartet" * ''Divertimento Novodvorico'' (1921), serenade for string quartet * ''Sonata in E minor for violin and piano'' ("Památce Jana Štursy"), Op. 40 (1925), "In Memory of Jan Štursa" * ''Piano Trio'' ("Malé domácí trio"), Op. 38 (1934), "Little domestic trio" * ''2nd String Quartet in E minor'' (1938) * ''3rd String Quartet'' ("Valašský") (1949), "Wallachian String Quartet"


Stage works

* ''Zmoudření Dona Quijota'' ''(Don Quixote Gains His Wisdom)'', Op. 18 (1914), music for the stage play by
Viktor Dyk Viktor Dyk (; 31 December 1877 – 14 May 1931) was a nationalist Czech poet, prose writer, playwright, politician and political writer. He was sent to jail during the First World War for opposing the Austro-Hungarian empire. He was one of the sign ...
* ''Hipolyta ( Hippolyta)'', Op. 20 (1916), opera (premiered at the
Prague National Theater The National Theatre ( cs, Národní divadlo) in Prague is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a ri ...
on October 10, 1917) * ''Ogaři (The Boys)'', Op. 27 (1918), children's opera based on texts by Ozef Kalda * ''Bílý pán aneb Těžko se dnes duchům straší (The Gentleman in White, or It's Tough Scaring Ghosts Today)'', Op. 50 (1929), musical comedy based on
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
's short story "
The Canterville Ghost "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in '' The Court and Society Review'', 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about an American fa ...
" * ''Tlustý pradědeček, lupiči a detektývové aneb Dobře to dopadlo (The Fat Great-Grandpa, the Robbers, and the Detectives, or It Turned Out Well)'', Op. 56 (1932), children's
Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...
* ''České jesličky (Czech Nativity)'', Op. 69 (1937), Christmas Singspiel * ''Hra na květinky. A-o-i-e-u, jaro již je tu!'' ''(A Flower Play. A-E-I-O-U, Spring is upon us!)'', Op. 71 (1937), Singspiel for children's choirs * ''Král Lávra (King Lávra)'', Op. 73 (1939), sung ballet based on a poem by Karel Havlíček Borovský * ''Psaníčko na cestách aneb Pošťácká pohádka (A Letter on A Journey, or The Postman's Fairy Tale)'' , Op. 79 (1941), children's Singspiel based on a fairy tale by Karel Čapek * ''Jáchym a Juliana (Joachim and Julianna)'', Op. 90 (1948), opera * ''Zahořanský hon'' ''(The Hunt of Zahořany)'', Op. 98a (1949), musical comedy based on a story by
Alois Jirásek Alois Jirásek () (23 August 1851, Hronov, Kingdom of Bohemia – 12 March 1930, Prague) was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a high school history teacher in Litomyšl and later in Prague until his retirement in ...
* ''Český Paganini aneb Slavík a Chopin (Czech Paganini, or Slavík and Chopin)'' (1951), operetta * ''Kolébka (The Cradle)'', Op. 101 (1950), musical comedy with songs and dances based on a story by
Alois Jirásek Alois Jirásek () (23 August 1851, Hronov, Kingdom of Bohemia – 12 March 1930, Prague) was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a high school history teacher in Litomyšl and later in Prague until his retirement in ...
* ''Tichý dům (The Silent House)'', Op. 105 (1952), operetta based on a story by Jan Neruda * ''Polka vítězí (The Polka Wins)'', Op. 111 (1954), operetta * ''Cirkus Humberto (Circus Humberto)'', Op. 118 (1955), operetta * ''Kalhoty (The Pants)'' (1962), Singspiel * ''Pohádka o 12 měsíčkách (Fairy Tale of the 12 Months)'' (1962), Singspiel for school children based on a fairy tale by Božena Němcová * ''Dvě komedie televizní: 1. Měsíc divů; 2. Šlechetný kasař aneb s poctivostí nejdál dojdeš (Two TV Comedies: 1. The Month of Marvels; 2. The Noble Safecracker, or Honesty is the Best Policy)'' (1963), two opera miniatures


Film Music

* ''Svatý Václav'' (1929) * ''Naši furianti'' (1937) * '' Cech panen kutnohorských'' (1938) * '' Gabriela'' (1942) *''
Jarní píseň ''Spring Song'' (Czech: ''Jarní píseň'') is a 1944 Czechoslovak film. The film starred Josef Kemr. Partial cast * Hana Vítová as Jana Mirská-Sequencová * Jarmila Smejkalová as Poldi * František Smolík as MUDr. Sýkora * Svatoplu ...
'' (1944) * ''Nikola Šuhaj'' (1947) * '' Štika v rybníce'' (1951)


Literature

* Ondřej Maňour: ''Křička, Jaroslav.'' In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart''. Zweite Ausgabe, Personenteil, Band 10 (Kemp – Lert). Bärenreiter/Metzler, Kassel u. a. 2003, , Sp. 712–715
online entry
subscription required for full access) * Jaromíra Trojanová: ''Jaroslav Křička: personánlí bibliografie.'' Státní vědecká knihovna, Brno 1984 (Czech, 81 pages).


References


External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kricka, Jaroslav 1882 births 1969 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century Czech musicians 19th-century Czech people 19th-century Czech male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Czech people 20th-century Czech male musicians Academics of the Prague Conservatory Czech classical musicians Czech classical organists Czech male classical composers Czech opera composers Czech Romantic composers Male opera composers Male classical organists People from Kelč People from the Margraviate of Moravia Olympic bronze medalists in art competitions Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic competitors in art competitions