Karel Richard Šebor (13 August 1843 – 18 May 1903) was a Czech

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

composer.

Life

He was born in

Brandýs nad Labem Brandys or Brandýs may refer to: * Brandys (surname) * Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic * Brandýs nad Orlicí Brandýs nad Orlicí (; german: Brandeis an der Adler) is a town in Úst� ...

and raised by his grandfather, a teacher who discovered his musical talent. Šebor attended 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 ...

from the age of twelve and, inspired by Beethoven's '' Symphony No. 9'', had a first own symphony performed in 1859. From 1861 he worked as a music teacher in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, but left during the 1863

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

to work as a ''

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

'' in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

. Back in Prague, he became music director at the National Theatre and had his first resounding success at the age of 22 with ''The Templars in Moravia''. Likewise, his second and third opera ''Drahomíra'' and ''Nevěsta husitská'' ("The Hussite Bride") were well received. However, in 1871 he fell out with the theatre management and took up a post at the Lemberg Theatre. Afterwards his success faded and he was largely forgotten.''Opera'' Vol.33 1982 "Karel Sebor (1843-1903), was a Wunderkind who, in the 1860s, was considered a rival to Smetana" He spent his later years as a military band director in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

. Šebor did not retire to private life until half a year before his death in 1903. He died in

Vinohrady Královské Vinohrady (in English literally "Royal Vineyards" german: Königliche Weinberge) is a cadastral district in Prague. It is so named because the area was once covered in vineyards dating from the 14th century. Vinohrady lies in the muni ...

, Prague.

Operas

* 1865 ''Templáři na Moravě'' ("The Templars in Moravia"), libretto by

Karel Sabina Karel Sabina (pen names include Arian Želinský and Leo Blass) (29 December 1813 – 8 November 1877) was a Czech writer and journalist. Life Karel Sabina grew up in poverty as an extramarital child of a daughter of a sugar producing factory' ...

* 1867 ''Drahomíra'' * 1868 ''Nevěsta husitská'' ("The Hussite Bride") * 1870 ''Blanka'' * 1879 ''Zmařená svatba'' ("The Ruined Wedding")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebor, Karel Czech classical composers Czech male classical composers 1843 births 1903 deaths Musicians from Prague People from Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav Prague Conservatory alumni 19th-century classical composers 19th-century Czech male musicians