Josef Páleníček (July 19, 1914, Travnik,

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, Austria-Hungary—March 7, 1991, Prague) was a Czech piano

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

and

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 ...

Biography

Páleníček studied at the gymnasium in Prague, and concurrently he studied also at the Prague Conservatory. Černušák (1963), p. 246 From 1933 to 1938 he continued his studies at the master school of

Karel Hoffmeister Karel may refer to: People * Karel (given name) * Karel (surname) * Charles Karel Bouley, talk radio personality known on air as Karel * Christiaan Karel Appel, Dutch painter Business * Karel Electronics, a Turkish electronics manufacturer * Gr ...

. Simultaneously he studied law at the

Charles University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

. Martínková (1985), p. 201 He graduated from both schools in 1938. Páleníček was also a pupil of

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

Otakar Šín Otakar Šín (23 April 1881 – 21 January 1943) was a Czech music composer, theoretician and pedagogue. Biography Otakar was born in Rokytno, a village, part of the town of Nové Město na Moravě, where his father was an innkeeper; he later ...

. He completed his studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, where he studied under Diran Alexanian and Pierre Fournier. During his stay in Paris he studied also with

Albert Roussel Albert Charles Paul Marie Roussel (; 5 April 1869 – 23 August 1937) was a French composer. He spent seven years as a midshipman, turned to music as an adult, and became one of the most prominent French composers of the interwar period. His ...

. From 1936 he started his career as a concert pianist and he became a solo pianist with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1949. However, his first public performance was at the age of 12 in 1926 in Olomouc. Following the World War II he also became a member of the Czechoslovak Communist Party. Páleníček was appointed a professor at the

Academy of Performing Arts in Prague The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague ( cs, Akademie múzických umění v Praze, AMU) is a university in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic, specialising in the study of music, dance, drama, film, television and multi-media. It is the larg ...

in 1963. In 1984 he served on the jury of the Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition.Paloma O’Shea Santander International Piano Competition “Winners, members of the jury and artistic guests”
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Works

Orchestral compositions

*Concertino for orchestra (1945) * Symphonic Variations on an Imaginary Portrait of Ilya Erenburg for large symphony orchestra (1971)

Concertant compositions

*1st Concerto in C for piano and orchestra (string orchestra and timpani) (1940) *2nd Concerto in E flat for piano and orchestra (1952) *3rd Concerto for piano and small orchestra, for young pianists (1961) *Concertino da camera in D for clarinet and orchestra (1957) *Concerto for Flute and orchestra (1955) *Concerto for Saxophone and orchestra (1944)

Compositions for chamber ensembles

*Preludium a Capriccio for violin and piano (1935) *Suita piccola for violin and piano (1958) *Variations on a Choral Song of the XVIIth Century for violoncello and piano (1942) *Sonata for clarinet and piano (1936) *Partita piccola for clarinet and piano (1943) *Masks, two compositions for saxophone and piano (1957) *1st String Quartet (1954) *Piano Quintet (1933) *Variations on his own theme for violoncello and piano (1972) *Rondo Concertante for violoncello and piano (1972) *Trio Sonata for oboe, mezzo-soprano and piano (1965)

Compositions for piano

*Sonata (1936) *Piano Sketchbook (cycle of five compositions), (1939)

Choral compositions

*Songs to Chinese poetry for soprano and piano (ossia for baritone and piano), Czech translation of verses by B. Mathesius (1947) *My Lai, for mezzo-soprano and piano (1971) *Blown Traces, cycle of men s choirs (1958)

Cantatas

*Song of Man, full-length oratorio for soloists, mixed choir and large orchestra, folk choir and folk soloists and children's choir (1960)

Instructive compositions

*Czech Fairytales (1940) *From the Notebook of a Small Boy, 7 short compositions for violoncello and piano (ossia bassoon and piano, bass clarinet and piano) (1972) *Abacus for children's choir, piano, trumpet, clarinet and percussion instruments (1973)

Notes

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palenicek, Josef 1914 births 1991 deaths People from Travnik Czech classical composers Czech male classical composers Czech classical musicians Czech classical pianists 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists École Normale de Musique de Paris alumni Male classical pianists 20th-century Czech male musicians Czechoslovak musicians