František Zdeněk Xavier Alois Skuherský (July 31, 1830 – August 19, 1892) 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,

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

, and theoretician. Born in

Opočno Opočno (; ) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. Opočno is known for the Opočno Castle, one of the most magnificent examples of Czech Renaissance archi ...

to František Alois Skuherský, the doctor of Duke Colloredo-Mansfeld and founder of the Opočno hospital. He graduated from the

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

gymnasium and studied philosophy and shortly medicine at

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

. Also in

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 ...

, he graduated from an organ school. In music, especially composing, he paid attention since childhood. He signed his first works in the pseudonym ''Opocensky.'' After his studies, he made a living by teaching people music in their homes. In the years 1854 to 1866 he was a theatre kapellmeister in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

and conductor of the town's singing choir, and later director of the University's cathedral. During this time he composed six

operas Opera is a form of Western 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 li ...

, some of which premiered at Innsbruck. After the death of his wife, who gave him three children, he came back to Prague where in 1866 he became the director of a prominent organ school until he retired in 1890. This school was attended by such famous composers as

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, Music theory, music theorist, Folkloristics, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian folk music, Moravian and other Slavs, Slavic music, includin ...

and Josef Bohuslav Foerster. At the same time he worked as a regenschori at a Prague cathedral, a teacher of music theory at a Czech University, and continued studying and composing Church music to the end of his life. He died in

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

where he is remembered by a street named after him.

Selected works

Piano * ''Pensées du soir'', Op. 10 (1854) * ''Preghiera'' (1881) * ''Vzpomínka na Zákupy'' Op. 19 Organ * Studies, Op. 13, 14 (1867); Op 16, 17

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skuhersky, Frantisek 1830 births 1892 deaths 19th-century Czech classical composers Composers from Austria-Hungary Conductors (music) from Austria-Hungary 19th-century Czech people Czech choral conductors Czech conductors (music) Czech male conductors (music) Czech opera composers Czech male opera composers People from Opočno 19th-century conductors (music) Charles University alumni