Františka Xavera Běhálková (23 October 1853 – 28 April 1907) was an

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

Czech collector of Moravian folk music.

Life

Běhálková was born in

Tovačov Tovačov () is a town in Přerov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monume ...

in 1853. She and her orphaned siblings had their uncle as their guardian when they were growing up. He was a priest and he arranged her education. She was close to the sisters Anna and

Zdenka Braunerová Zdislava Rosalina Augusta Braunerová, called Zdenka (9 April 1858 – 23 May 1934) was a Czech landscape painter, illustrator and graphic artist, whose work was influenced by her connection to Paris. She was the first female member of the Mánes ...

and they encouraged her to take an interest in

Haná Haná or Hanakia ( or ''Hanácko'', or ''Hanakei'') is an ethnographic region in central Moravia in the Czech Republic. Etymology The region was named after the Haná (river), Haná River. Description Its core area is located along the ep ...

folk culture. Zdenka Braunerová was a noted painter and through her she gained access to intellectual society. By 1884 she had made links with and and their newly formed Patriotic Museum Association in

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

. On New Years Day 1885 she had an exhibition of Moravian folk embroidery. She was an ethnographer and in her home town she taught dance. She gathered together dances and tunes from her local region. She was a collaborator with the composer

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 ...

. He was a collector of folk songs as well as a leading Czech composer. The tunes he used were recorded by him in 1895 to 1888 but a second source was Běhálková who sent him 70 to 100 tunes that she had gathered from around the

region of central Morovia. In 1891 to 1893 she, Janáček and Lucie Bakešová published "National Dances in Moravia". The work covered three small books and it contained 21 dances. Běhálková died of cancer in

on 28 April 1907.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Běhálková, Františka Xavera 1853 births 1907 deaths People from Tovačov Czech ethnographers Ethnographers from Austria-Hungary