Vilém Blodek, born Vilém František Plodek (October 3, 1834,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

– May 1, 1874, Prague), 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 *Czech (surnam ...

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 def ...

flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

Biography

Blodek was born into a poor family and was educated at a German Piarist school in Prague. After studying with Alexander Dreyschock (piano) and at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

(1846–52) with Antonín Eiser (flute) and

Johann Friedrich Kittl Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious ...

(composition), he became a music teacher in Lubycza, Galicia (1853–5). On returning to Prague, he worked as a concert pianist and music teacher and, briefly, as second conductor of the Prague Männergesangverein, for which he wrote a number of patriotic choruses. In 1860 he succeeded Anton Eiser as professor of flute at the conservatory, and, as a basis for teaching, he wrote his own flute tutor (1861). He was active as a writer of incidental music for the German and Czech theatres: from 1858 onwards he wrote music for 60 plays and collaborated with

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 ...

on music for the tableaux for the 1864 Shakespeare celebrations. In 1865 he married Marie Doudlebska, whom he had previously taught. In 1870, he became mentally ill, with this being ascribed to overwork, and stayed for four years in an asylum.

Style

Blodek began composing at the conservatory at the age of 13 (wind sextet, 1847) in a style that owed much to his teacher Kittl, to Mendelssohn, and to the early German Romantics. His Symphony in D minor (1858–9) was his most ambitious work at the time. His Flute Concerto (1862) is a brilliant and attractive flute work. Blodek's best-known work is his one-act opera '' V studni'' (''In the Well''), first performed at the Provisional Theater in November 1867. One of several comic village operas written to Sabina librettos (''

The Bartered Bride ''The Bartered Bride'' (, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It ...

'' is the most famous), it has a cast of four characters and is made up of a handful of closed numbers: five solos, two duets, one quartet, an overture and an intermezzo, and three brief ensembles for chorus and soloists. It was the first Czech comic opera to replace spoken dialogue with recitative. Blodek's opera is often considered to be one of the most ‘Czech’ operas after those of Smetana – it was written shortly after the première of ''The Bartered Bride''. Blodek's next opera, ''Zítek'', again to a Sabina libretto (a historical comedy set in the 14th century), was a more ambitious work both in its musical vocabulary and in its operatic form. A full-length three-act opera with a large cast, it made some attempt to break down the divisions between the closed numbers of its predecessor, using arioso and a chorus more integrated into the action. Blodek completed only one act and part of the second before his death; Smetana, already ill, declined to finish it, but it was eventually completed by F.X. Vaňa and was performed for the first time in 1934 on the 100th anniversary of Blodek's birth.

Works

:Principal publishers: Urbánek, Vilímek, E. Starý, J.A. Christophe & Kuhé, Český hudební fond ;Stage * ''Mlhavé obrazy'' (Misty Pictures), Incidental music (Prague, 1859); music to the play by J. Brandeis; lost * ''Clarissa'', Opera (1861); unfinished; lost * ''Choralista aneb Čtverákovský z Žertovic'' (The Chorister, or Čtverákovský from Žertovice), Vaudeville (1861, Prague, 22 March 1862); libretto by František Hainiš-Zdobnický; lost * ''Suita perdita: Hudba k slavnosti Shakespeareově'' (Music for the Shakespeare Celebrations) (Prague, Novoměstské divadlo, 23 April 1864) * '' V studni'' (In the Well), Comic Opera in 1 act (Prague, Provisional Theatre, 17 November 1867); libretto by Karel Sabina * ''Svatojánská pouť'' (St John's Pilgrimage), Incidental music (Prague, 1868); music for the play by František Ferdinand Šamberk * '' Zítek'', Comic Opera in 3 acts (1868–1869); libretto by Karel Sabina; unfinished; completed by František Xaver Váňa (Prague, National Theatre, 3 October 1934) * Incidental music to approximately 60 plays ;Orchestral * ''Concert Overture'' in C major, Op. 2 (1850) * Overture in D major (1854) * Symphony in D minor (1858–1859) * ''Concert Overture'' in E major (1859) * Overture in E minor (1862) ;Concertante * Flute Concerto in D major (1862); published by Jindřich Kàan (Prague, 1903) * ''Skladba'' (Composition) in A major for 2 flutes and orchestra (?1862) ;Chamber music * Sextet in D major for flute, 2 violins, oboe, horn, and trombone (1847) * ''Salon Piece'' in C major for violin and piano (1850) * ''Grand solo'' in D major for flute and piano, Op. 1 (1851); lost * ''Allegro bravour'' in D major for flute and piano (1852); lost * ''Fantasie e capriccio'' in F major for flute and piano (1863) * ''Andante cantabile'' for cello and piano (1863) ;Piano * ''Lípový lístek'' (Linden Leaf) for piano 4-hands * ''Impromptu – Scherzo – Valčík – Barkarola (Fischerlied)'' ;Vocal * ''Die Kapelle'', Songs for voice and piano (1951); words by

Ludwig Uhland Johann Ludwig Uhland (26 April 1787 – 13 November 1862) was a German poet, philologist, literary historian, lawyer and politician. Biography He was born in Tübingen, Württemberg, and studied jurisprudence at the university there, b ...

* ''Písně milostné'' (Love Songs) for voice and piano (c.1860, Prague, 1909); Czech translation by Karel Hašler :# Hoře (Wehmut); words by

Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

:# Předsevzetí (Vorsatz); words by Robert Prutz :# Květy lotosu (Die Lotosblume); words by

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

:# Jen Ty! (Nur Du); words by

:# Kdybych byl ptáčetem (Wann i a Vögerl wär); words by J. Körnlein :# Sladce spi! (Gute Nacht); words by Robert Reinick :# Návrat pocestného (Wanderers Heimkehr); anonymous words :# Znám jednu perlu krásnou (Ich kenne eine Perle); words by Eduard Maria Öttinger :# Ty v dálce dlíš (Du bist fern); words by Emanuel Geibel :# Ptáčku můj poslíčku (Vöglein mein Bote); words by Johann Gabriel Seidl :# Loučení (Abschied vom Walde); words by

:# Krádež (Diebstahl); words by Robert Reinick :# Nocturno (Nachtgedanken); anonymous words * ''Dvě písně ve snadném slohu'' (Two Songs in Easy Style) ;Choral * ''Abschied vom Walde'' for chorus (c.1855) * ''Náš zpěv'' for chorus (1859); words by

Vítězslav Hálek Vítězslav Hálek (also known as Vincenc Hálek; ; 5 April 1835 – 8 October 1874) was a Czechs, Czech poet, writer, journalist and dramatist. He was known for his optimistic work, which earned him fame and recognition during his lifetime. Life ...

* ''6 mužských sborů'' (6 Male Choruses) (1859) * ''K bratrům'' (To the Brothers) * ''Ach ty Labe tiché'' (O Quiet Elbe) for male chorus (1865) * ''Pijácká (Společná)'' (A Drinking-Song, A Social Song) for male chorus (1867) * ''Pochod'' (March) for male chorus (1867) * ''Starý ženich'' (The Old Groom) for male chorus; words by Karel Sabina * ''Lovecká'' (Hunting), Hymn; words by Václav Jaromír Picek * ''Festmesse ke cti Nejsvětější Trojice'' (Solemn Mass in Honor of the Holy Trinity) (1863) * ''Mše D dur'' (Mass in D major) (1865) * ''Ave Maria'' in C major for mixed chorus (1859, Prague 1888) * ''Otče náš'' (Our Father) in F major for male chorus (1863) * ''Veni creator'' for mixed chorus (1863) * ''Adoramus'' in A minor (mužský sbor, hudba k Raffaelovu obrazu Sixtinská Madona). * ''Offertorium''; lost * 20 choruses for male voices, some to German texts by

Joseph von Eichendorff Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

, and

Adalbert von Chamisso Adelbert von Chamisso (; 30 January 1781 – 21 August 1838) was a German poet, writer and botanist. He was commonly known in French as Adelbert de Chamisso (or Chamissot) de Boncourt, a name referring to the family estate at Boncourt. Life ...

, and to Czech texts by Václav Hanka, Jiljí Vratislav Jahn, Václav Jaromír Picek, and Karel Sabina; several published

References

Biography based on article by John Tyrrell in ''Grove Music Online'' (Cambridge, 1988)

External links

Vilém Blodek: Short biography
at Česká hudba (Czech Music) * *
Vilém Blodek: Biography and list of works
at ''Czech Music Dictionary of People and Institutions (Český hudební slovník osob a institucí)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Blodek, Vilem 1834 births 1874 deaths Pianists from Austria-Hungary Composers from Austria-Hungary Czech male classical composers Classical flautists Czech classical pianists Musicians from Prague Prague Conservatory alumni Czech Romantic composers 19th-century Czech classical composers 19th-century classical pianists Czech male classical pianists 19th-century Czech male musicians