František Alois Drdla (

Germanized Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people, and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In l ...

as Franz Drdla; 28 November 1868 – 3 September 1944) was a prominent

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 ...

concert

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist and composer of

light music Light music is a less-serious form of Western classical music, which originated in the 18th and 19th centuries and continues today. Its heyday was in the mid‑20th century. The style is through-composed, usually shorter orchestral pieces and ...

Biography

Drdla was born in 1868 in

Žďár nad Sázavou Žďár nad Sázavou (; ) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The town is an industrial and tourist centre. It is known for the Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk, which is a UNESCO Wor ...

, in what is now the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. He studied violin and composition first 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 ...

and later at the Vienna Conservatory where his teachers were Josef Hellmesberger, Jr. for violin,

Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...

for music theory and

Franz Krenn Franz Krenn (26 February 1816 – 18 June 1897) was an Austrian composer and composition teacher born in Droß. He studied under Ignaz von Seyfried in Vienna, and served as organist in a number of Viennese churches, becoming Kapellmeister of St. M ...

for composition. However, Drdla's music shows none of his teacher's influence. From 1890 to 1893 he played violin in the orchestra of the

Vienna Court Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by A ...

, and from 1894 to 1899 he pursued his career as the director and

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...

of the

Theater an der Wien The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prim ...

. By then a well-known concert violinist, Drdla toured throughout Europe (1899–1905) and later the United States (1923–1925). Drdla enjoyed a good reputation as a violinist with a technically refined tone. In 1927 he received an honorary title from the President of Austria. Drdla died in

Bad Gastein Bad Gastein ( is a spa town in the St. Johann im Pongau District. Picturesquely situated in a high valley of the Hohe Tauern mountain range, it is known for the Gastein waterfall and a variety of grand hotel buildings. Geography Bad Gastein i ...

, Austria in 1944. Although he composed three

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

s, a

violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

, several orchestral works and two piano trios, international fame came to Drdla as a result of composing lighter music in the late romantic style. These works generally mixed popular Bohemian (Czech) or Hungarian melodies and presented them ''à la viennoise''. Among the best known of such works are ''Souvenir'' (1904), ''Vision'' (1906) and ''Hey, Hay!'' (1908) written for violin with piano. ''Hey, Hay!'' became popular in more than a dozen different versions including those for orchestra,

piano quintet In classical music, a piano quintet is a work of chamber music written for piano and four other instruments, most commonly (since 1842) a string quartet (i.e., two violins, viola, and cello). The term also refers to the group of musicians that ...

, and

string quartet The term string quartet refers 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 Violin, violini ...

. Drdla's compositions were popularized by violinists

Jan Kubelík Jan Kubelík (5 July 18805 December 1940) was a Czech violinist and composer. Biography He was born in Michle (now part of Prague). His father, a gardener by occupation, was an amateur violinist. He taught his two sons the violin and after di ...

Marie Hall Marie Pauline Hall (8 April 1884 – 11 November 1956) was an English violinist. Biography Hall was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. She received her first lessons from her father, who was a harpist in the orchestra of the Carl Rosa O ...

Mischa Elman Mischa (Mikhail Saulovich) Elman (; January 20, 1891April 5, 1967) was a Russian-American violinist famed for his passionate style, beautiful tone, and impeccable artistry and musicality. Early life Moses or Moishe Elman was born to a Jewish fa ...

Joseph Szigeti Joseph Szigeti (, ; 5 September 189219 February 1973) was a Hungarian violinist. Born into a musical family, he spent his early childhood in a small town in Transylvania. He quickly proved himself to be a child prodigy on the violin, and move ...

Váša Příhoda Váša Příhoda (22 August 1900Nicolas Slonimsky, ed. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 8th ed.26 July 1960) was a Czechoslovakia, Czech List of classical violinists, violinist and minor composer. Considered a Niccolò Paganini, Pagan ...

and others.

Selected works

Operetta

* ''Zlatá síť'' (The Golden Net) (1915–1916) * ''Komtesa z prodejny'' (The Shop Countess / Die Ladenkomtesse), Operetta in 3 acts (1916–1917) * ''Bohyně lásky'' (The Goddess of Love / Die Göttin der Liebe), Operetta Burleske in 3 acts (1940); revision of ''Zlatá síť''

Orchestra

* Op. 134 – ''J'y Pense'' for orchestra, piano and harmonium (1914)

Concertante

* Op. 245 – Violin Concerto in D minor for violin and orchestra (1931)

Chamber music

* Op. 200 – ''Duo Concertante'' for violin, cello and piano (or violin and piano) (1924) * Op. 240 – Piano Trio in G minor (1930) * Op. 243 – ''Agnus Dei'' for voice, violin and piano

Violin and piano

* ''Serenade No.1'' in A major for violin and piano (1901) * ''Serenade No.2'' in E major for violin and piano (1903) * ''Romanze'' (Romance) in A major for violin and piano (1903) * ''Souvenir'' in D major for violin and piano (1904) * Op. 19 – ''Polonaise'' in G major for violin and piano (1904) * Op. 21 – ''Träumerei'' (Dreaming) in D major for violin and piano (1905) * Op. 22 – ''Mazurka No.1'' (''"Marie Hall Mazurka"'') in G major for violin and piano (1905) * Op. 23 – ''Mazurka No.2'' in G major for violin and piano (1905) * Op. 24 – ''Mazurka No.3'' in A major for violin and piano (1906) * Op. 25 – ''Madrigale'' in A major for violin and piano (1906) * Op. 26 – ''Mélodie'' in F major and ''Au printemps'' in B major for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 27 – ''Dialogue'' in G major and ''Tarantelle'' in D major for violin and piano (1906) * Op. 28 – ''Vision'' in E major for violin and piano (1906) * Op. 29 – ''Le Songe (Notturno)'' in D major for violin and piano * Op. 30 – ''8 Ungarische Tänze'' (8 Danses hongroises / 8 Hungarian Dances) for violin and piano (1908) ::: No.1 – Hej de Fényes ::: No.2 – Hamis babám ::: No.3 – Ég a kunhyó ::: No.4 – Hej, haj! (Hey Hay!) (1908); composed in several versions ::: No.5 – Kalvesai-emlék (Memories of Kalvesa) ::: No.6 – Bártfai-emlék (Memories of Bártfa) ::: No.7 – Rózsabokor csárdás (Rosebush Csárdás) ::: No.8 – Csak egy szép lány (There's Only One Lovely Girl) (1909) * Op. 31 – ''Chant d’amour'', Valse chanson in D major for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 32 – ''Ivresse'' in F major for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 33 – ''Berceuse'' (Wiegenlied / Lullaby), Intermezzo in C major for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 34 – ''Méditation'' in C major, ''Ballade'' in G minor, ''Au soir'' in F major and ''Lenorka'' in G major for violin and piano (1909) * Op. 35 – ''Danse des sorcières'' (Witches' Dance / Hexentanz) in G major for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 36 – ''Idylle'' in A major for violin and piano * Op. 37 – ''Rêverie'' in E major, ''Frühlings-Serenade'' in A major and ''Feu follet'' in D major for violin and piano * Op. 40 – ''Fantasie'' for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 41 – ''Polichinelle'' for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 42 – ''Waltz-Serenade'' in C major for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 42 – ''Tarantella'' for 2 violins and piano (1909) * Op. 43 – ''Chanson joyeuse'' in D major for violin and piano * Op. 46 – ''Tendresse'' for violin and piano (1909) * Op. 47 – ''Causerie'' for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 48 – ''Illusion'' in G major for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 50 – ''Danse gracieuse'' in G major for violin and piano * Op. 51 – ''Intermezzo'', Waltz in G major for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 52 – ''Capriccio'' for violin and piano (1908) * Op. 54 – ''Rococo'' in E major for violin and piano (1909) * Op. 55 – ''Rezinka'' in D major for violin and piano * Op. 56 – ''Berceuse'' for violin and piano (1910) * Op. 57 – ''Ritornell'' in D major for violin and piano (1909) * Op. 61 – ''Marche triomphale'' and ''Tarantelle'' for violin and piano (1910) * Op. 62 – ''Scherzando'' for violin and piano (1910) * Op. 65 – ''Poëme'' for violin and piano (1910) * Op. 66 – ''Fantasie über 'Carmen' von Bizet'' (Fantasia on 'Carmen' by Bizet) for violin and piano (1909) * Op. 67 – ''Canzonetta'' in B major for violin and piano (1909) * Op. 70 – ''Chant de la Fileuse'' in G major for violin and piano * Op. 71 – ''Aubade d'été'', Humoresque in F major for violin and piano (1910) * Op. 73 – ''Fantasie über 'Hoffmanns Erzählungen' von Offenbach'' (Fantaisie sur 'Les contes d’Hoffmann' de Offenbach / Fantasia on 'The Tales of Hoffmann' by Offenbach) for violin and piano (1910) * Op. 81 – ''Menuet'' in G major for violin and piano (1911) * Op. 84 – ''Legende'' in A major for violin and piano (1911) * Op. 86 – ''Novellette'' for violin and piano (1911) * Op. 88 – ''Guitarrero'' for violin and piano (1912) * Op. 90 – ''Colombine'', Gavotte for violin and piano (1912) * Op. 92 – ''La poupée'', Menuet in G major for violin and piano (1912) * Op. 93 – ''Temps passés'' for violin and piano (1912) * Op. 95 – ''Aus der Heimat'', Böhmische Volksweisen (Bohemian Airs) for violin and piano (1912) * Op. 98 – ''Zwiegespräche'' (Dialogues) for 2 violins and piano (1913) ::: No.1 – Glückliche Stunden (G major) ::: No.2 – Spiel und Tanz (E minor) ::: No.3 – Treue Kameraden (D major) ::: No.4 – In der Plauderecke (A major) ::: No.5 – Tragische Geschichte (G minor) ::: No.6 – Froher Festtag (B major) * Op. 99 – ''Nocturne'' for violin and piano (1913) * Op. 108 – ''Romance Bergère'' * Op. 111 – ''Ariel'' for violin and piano (1913) * Op. 112 – ''Tarantelle'' for violin and piano (1913) * Op. 125 – ''The Hummingbird'' for violin and piano (1914) * Op. 127 – ''4 kleine Vortragstücke'' (4 Short Concert Pieces) (1915); includes: ''Rain of Blossoms'', ''Night Winds'' * Op. 131 – ''Otázka'' (Question / Frage) for violin and piano (1914) * Op. 132 – ''Perpetuo'' * Op. 142 – ''Fantasie nach Motiven der Oper 'Die verkaufte Braut' von Smetana'' (Fantaisie sur 'La finacée vendue' de Smetana / Fantasia on 'The Bartered Bride' of Smetana) (1915) * Op. 154 – ''Bilder aus Ungarn'', 5 Hungarian Folksongs for violin and piano (1917) * Op. 180 – ''Graziella'' for violin and piano (1925) * Op. 182 – ''Le trouvère'' for violin and piano (1925) * Op. 183 – ''Notturno'' for violin and piano (1925) * Op. 184 – ''D'automne'' for violin and piano (1925) * Op. 186 – ''Pierette'' for violin and piano (1925) * Op. 187 – ''Wiener Walzer'' (Valses Viennoises / Viennese Waltzes) (1925) * Op. 189 – ''Ráno'' (Aubade) for violin and piano (1924) * Op. 191 – ''Tarantella'' (1925) * Op. 196 – ''Pagoda'' and ''Springbrunnen'' (The Fountain) for violin and piano (1927) * Op. 197 – ''Katinka'', Mazurka caractéristique for violin and piano (1927) * Op. 199 – ''Danse espagnole'' for violin and piano (1927) * Op. 201 – ''Lybellentanz'' (Dragonfly Dance) and ''Sylvan Dance'' for violin and piano (1925) * Op. 225 – ''Concertino'' in A minor for violin and piano (1929) * Op. 226 – ''Alt-Wien'' (Old Vienna) in A major for violin and piano (1930) * Op. 228 – ''Sehnsucht'' (Longing) for violin and piano * Op. 233 – ''Die Libelle'' (Libellule / The Dragonfly) in D major for violin and piano (1933)

Notes

References

* Oldřich Pukl, article in The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, Ed. S. Sadie, Vol.V, p. 611, London, Macmillan 1980

External links

*
Franz Drdla Hey, Hay! for Piano Quintet sound-bite
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drdla, Frantisek 1868 births 1944 deaths Czech classical composers Czech male classical composers Czech classical violinists Czech male classical violinists Composers for violin Czech expatriates in Austria People from Žďár nad Sázavou Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Musicians from Austria-Hungary Prague Conservatory alumni