Music of the Czech Republic comprises the musical traditions of
that state or the historical entities of which it is compound, i.e. the
Czech lands
The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since ...
(
Bohemia,
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The m ...
,
Czech Silesia
Czech Silesia (, also , ; cs, České Slezsko; szl, Czeski Ślōnsk; sli, Tschechisch-Schläsing; german: Tschechisch-Schlesien; pl, Śląsk Czeski) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia is, ...
). Czech music also constitutes a substantial part of the music culture of its direct predecessor,
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
.
Music in this area has its roots in sacred music from more than a thousand years ago. The oldest recorded song from this territory is the hymn "
Hospodine, pomiluj ny
Hospodine pomiluj ny (English: ''Lord, Have Mercy on Us'') is the oldest known Czech song. The hymn is a paraphrase of the Kyrie Eleison with deep choral melody. Its text preserves traces of Church Slavonic origin.
History
Author of the song, da ...
" ("Lord, Have Mercy on Us"), dating from the turn of the 11th century.
Traditional music
Bohemian traditional music includes that of , where
bagpipes are common.
Moravian traditional music
Moravian traditional music or Moravian folk music represents a part of the European musical culture connected with the Moravian region of the Czech Republic. Styles of Moravian traditional music vary by location and subject, but much of it is c ...
is known for the
cimbalom
The cimbalom (; ) or concert cimbalom is a type of chordophone composed of a large, trapezoidal box on legs with metal strings stretched across its top and a damping pedal underneath. It was designed and created by V. Josef Schunda in 1874 in ...
, which is played in ensembles that also include
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...
,
clarinet and
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
s. The traditional music of Moravia displays regional influences, especially in
Valachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...
with a Romanian and Ukrainian legacy, and has close cultural relations with Slovakia and Lachia (the borderland of northern Moravia and
Czech Silesia
Czech Silesia (, also , ; cs, České Slezsko; szl, Czeski Ślōnsk; sli, Tschechisch-Schläsing; german: Tschechisch-Schlesien; pl, Śląsk Czeski) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia is, ...
) with its Polish aspects.
A famous dance from the region is the Bohemian
polka.
Bohemian music
Early evidence of music from this region is documented in manuscripts from the library of the
Cistercian monastery in
Vyšší Brod
Vyšší Brod (; german: Hohenfurth) is a town in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants. It is the southernmost municipality in the Czech Republic. Vyšší Brod Monastery, an i ...
(founded in 1259). One of the most important is manuscript No. 42, from 1410. It contains a hymn called ''Jezu Kriste, ščedrý kněže'' ("Jesus Christ Bountiful Prince"), that people would sing during the preaching of
Jan Hus
Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the insp ...
.
With the development of towns in the 15th century, music started to play an important role in two Bohemian centers:
Prachatice
Prachatice (; german: Prachatitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Administrative parts
Prac ...
and
Sušice. Václav z Prachatic (Václav of Prachatice) dealt with the theory of music at the
Charles University in Prague. His manuscript ' is a collective work on the theory of music inspired by the thoughts of Johan de Muris, who worked in Paris, and is in the university library.
Extensive musical activities in Prachatice took place in the second half of the 16th century during the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
, a notable period of ''literátská bratrstva'' ("men of letters brotherhoods"). Their main focus was community singing performed during ceremonial services. The brotherhood established its memorial book in 1575, which described its activities until 1949, when the brotherhood perished. The Habsburg
Counter-Reformation in Bohemia after 1620 also affected music in the region. Catholic priests performed Gregorian chorals, while the people sang spiritual songs often based on the Protestant tradition. This ended in a new Catholic edition of hymn books such as ''Capella regia musicalis''.
The Czech classicism period is exemplified by
František Xaver Brixi
František () is a masculine given name of Czech origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include:
*Frank Daniel (František Daniel) (1926–1996), Czech film director, producer, and screenwrite ...
,
Johann Baptist Wanhal
Johann Baptist Wanhal (12 May 1739 – 20 August 1813) was a Czech classical music composer. He was born in Nechanice, Bohemia, and died in Vienna. His music was well respected by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert. He was an instrumental p ...
, and . Among the 18th and 19th century composers are ,
Jakub Jan Ryba
Jakub Šimon Jan Ryba (surname also Poisson, Peace, Ryballandini, Rybaville; 26 October 1765 – 8 April 1815) was a Czech teacher and composer of classical music. His most famous work is '' Czech Christmas Mass "Hey, Master!"'' (''Česká mše ...
,
Jan August Vitásek. In the 19th century, German and Austrian productions also had their place here. The founder of Czech national music
Bedřich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana ( , ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival." He has been regarded i ...
was inspired by the
Bohemian Forest
The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava () and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria ...
while creating his symphonic poem ''
Vltava
Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at ...
''.
Antonín Dvořák was also inspired by the Bohemian Forest in his piece ''
Silent Woods''.
The traditional music of Bohemia and Moravia influenced the work of composers like
Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European f ...
, Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, and
Bohuslav Martinů. Earlier composers from the region include
Adam Michna,
Heinrich Biber
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber ( bapt. 12 August 1644, Stráž pod Ralskem – 3 May 1704, Salzburg) was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. Biber worked in Graz and Kroměříž before he illegally left his employer, Prince-Bishop Karl Li ...
,
Jan Dismas Zelenka
Jan Dismas Zelenka (16 October 1679 – 23 December 1745), baptised Jan Lukáš Zelenka was a Czech composer and musician of the Baroque period. His music is admired for its harmonic inventiveness and mastery of counterpoint.
Zelenka was rais ...
,
Johann Wenzel Stamitz and
Johann Ladislaus Dussek.
See also
*
List of Czech laureates of international music awards Recordings
Grand Prix du disque de l'Académie Charles Cros
* 1960 Bohuslav Martinů - 6th Symphony "Fantasies symphoniques" by Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Karel Ančerl
* 1966 Leoš Janáček - String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2 by T ...
References
Further reading
*Bužga J., Kouba J., Mikanová, E., Volek T. 1969: ''Průvodce po pramenech k dějinám hudby''. Fondy a sbírky uložené v Čechách. Praha.
*Jiránek J., Lébl V. 1972, 1981: ''Dějiny české hudební kultury 1890/1945''. Part 1 1890/1918, part 2 1918–1945. Prague.
*Lébl V. a Kol. 1989: ''Hudba v českých dějinách''. Od středověku do nové doby. Prague.
*
*Pohanka J. 1958: ''Dějiny české hudby v příkladech''. Prague.
*Svatos, Thomas D. "Sovietizing Czechoslovak Music: The 'Hatchet-Man' Miroslav Barvík and his Speech The Composers Go with the People." ''Music and Politics'', Vol. IV/1 (2010): 1–35.
*Kolektiv autorů: ''Šumava příroda-historie-život'', nakladatelství Miloš Uhlíř – Baset, 1st ed., 2003
External links
Traditional / folk music of Czech Republic folkcloud.com
{{Folk music
Czech music