Karel Janovický
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Karel Janovický (18 February 1930 – 9 January 2024) was a Czech composer, pianist, BBC producer and administrator who lived in the United Kingdom from 1950. He was one of the youngest of the group of European émigré composers who came to live and work in Britain during the 1930s and 1940s to avoid persecution at home.


Education and career

Janovický was born in
Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...
as Bohuš František Šimsa. He was the son of Bohuslav Šimsa, a baritone soloist at the Plzeň Opera. Growing up under the German occupation, he studied piano from an early age and later composition with Josef Bartovský (1884–1964). In 1949 he was unsuccessful in applying to study at the
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (, AMU) is a university in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic, specialising in the study of music, dance, drama, film, television and multi-media. It is the largest art school in the Czech Republic, wit ...
(HAMU) for political reasons. (The Czech coup of February 1948 had resulted in Communist Party control over the Czech Government). So in October of that year he left with his future wife Sylva Maiwaldová for Germany, arriving a year later in England.Biography at Prima Facie Records
/ref> Once there he continued his studies: first at the Surrey College of Music, Fitznells Manor in
Ewell Ewell ( , ) is a town in Surrey, England, south of Centre of London, central London and northeast of Epsom. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, it had a population of 34,872. The majority (73%) was in the NRS social grade, ABC1 ...
under Percy Turnbull; then at The Royal College of Music where he completed a Master of Music degree; and also privately with Matyas Seiber (composition) and Jan Šedivka (chamber music). Janovický joined the
British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public broadcasting, public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved in ...
in 1964, moving to the
BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...
in 1967. During the 1970s he was an occasional broadcaster under the name Jack Allen, hosting programmes of modern Czech music. From 1980 until his retirement in 1990 he managed the BBC's Czechoslovak department. Promoting Czech music in the UK, Janovický championed performances of Dvořák's vocal compositions and operas, Smetana's ''
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 ...
'', Janáček's '' Katya Kabanova'' and ''
Jenůfa ''Její pastorkyňa'' (''Her Stepdaughter''; commonly known as ''Jenůfa'' ) is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the Play (theatre), play ''Její pastorkyňa'' by Gabriela Preissová. It was ...
'', Martinů's '' Field Mass'' and other works in the original Czech language. He was active in the Antonín Dvořák Society for many years. He translated Czech music theory and music history texts into English, including the translation and revision of Jaroslav Vogel's biography of Janáček in 1983. And he continued to coach many singers and choirs, including the
BBC Singers The BBC Singers is a professional British chamber choir, employed by the BBC. Its origins can be traced to 1924. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time profes ...
, in pronunciation of the Czech language.


Personal life and death

Janovický was a keen walker, "never happier than half way up a Scottish mountain with a favourite dog", and was active in the
Scout Movement Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including ...
. He died in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2024, at the age of 93. He was survived by his wife, Sylva, and children Cyril Simsa (born 1960) and Debora Cane (born 1962).


Music

Janovický was a prolific composer with over 200 works in his catalogue, ranging from opera, choral works and songs through to orchestral, string and wind ensembles, chamber music and piano works. His earliest compositions were written while he was still in Plzeň. These include many solo piano works and a series of pieces for spoken voice and piano. After his move to England he was awarded the Dutch
Gaudeamus Foundation The Gaudeamus Foundation and Contemporary Music Center organizes and promotes contemporary musical activities and concerts in the Netherlands and abroad. It focuses on supporting the career development of young composers and musicians, particular ...
composition prize for his ''Piano Variations on the theme of Brigadier H. Smitke'', Op. 7. In 1954 his Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra, Op. 10, was premiered at the
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...
in London with Jan Šedivka soloist and the Kalmar Orchestra conducted by
Colin Davis Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom ...
. On 14 February 1956, he made his debut at The Wigmore Hall with cellist Selu Trau, who also played his Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 11. In 1957 he won the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 'Garland for Shakespeare' competition with his ''Variations on a theme of Robert Johnson'', Op.17, which was first performed by the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, s ...
under Sir Charles Groves. (The theme is taken from
Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...
's ''Where the Bee Sucks''). ''The Utmost Sail'' (1958) is a one act opera on a science fiction theme inspired by the launch of the satellite
Sputnik Sputnik 1 (, , ''Satellite 1''), sometimes referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space progra ...
in 1957. It concerns the crew of a space ship flying into space and watching the Earth being consumed in a nuclear holocaust. Although Janovický's rate of composition slowed down considerably from the early 1960s due to his heavy work commitments at the BBC, he resumed at full pace on his retirement in 1990. His song cycle ''A Bed of Roses'', words by Richard Robbins, was written for the tenor John Upperton and premiered at The Purcell Room in 1999. ''Rain Songs'' a 2010 song cycle setting poems by the Hungarian-born poet and translator
George Szirtes George Szirtes (; born 29 November 1948) is a British poet and translator from the Hungarian language into English. Originally from Hungary, he has lived in the United Kingdom for most of his life after coming to the country as a refugee at the ...
, was written in memory of his teacher Mátyás Seiber. The last of a series of piano sonatas was completed in 2017. The ''Four Houseman Songs'', composed in 2018, received a first performance in 2019 by Katherine Nicholson and Joan Taylor at a Dvorak Society concert. The Prazak String Quartet performed the String Quartet No 4 at Leamington’s Royal Pump Rooms on 25 February 2022.''Leamington Observer'', 17 February, 2022
/ref>


Selected compositions

* Opera: ''The Utmost Sail'', Op.22 (1958) * Vocal: ''Nine Songs for Alto, Violin and Piano'' (1951); ''Twelve Peasant Carols of Moravia'' (1958); ''Three Cambridge Songs'' (1981); ''Passages of Flight'' song cycle (1995); ''A Bed of Roses'' song cycle (1999); ''The Corner of My Eye'' song cycle (2002); ''Sudiček Blues'' (2008); ''Rain Songs'' (2010); ''Four songs to words by A.E.Housman'' (2018). * Choral: ''Canons for Three Voices a cappella on sentences from Dhamapadda'' (1951); ''Ave Maria'' (1996). * Orchestral: Two symphonies (1951, 2004); Piano Concerto (1952); Violin Concerto (1954) ''Variations on a Theme of Robert Johnson'' (1956); Organ Concerto (1957); Concerto for Strings (2002); Prelude and Double Fugue for Strings (2003) ''Fantasy for Piano and String Orchestra on Motives from Dvořák's Biblical Songs'' (2009). * Chamber music: 10 string quartets (between 1951 and 2018); two piano trios (1953, 2005); Trio for Guitars (1986); Piano Quartet (2015). * Strings: Five sonatas for violin and piano (between 1955 and 2015); two sonatas for viola and piano; two sonatas for solo cello. * Wind: Quintet for Flute and Strings (1956); Bass Clarinet Sonata (1984); Saxophone Quartet (1996); Bassoon Sonata (2005); Clarinet Sonata (2007); Bassoon Quartet (2013); Wind Quintet (2016). * Piano: 13 (?) piano sonatas (between 1947 and 2017); ''Twelve Sentiments'' suite (1952); ''Tango for Time out of Mind'' (2006) * Organ: Two fantasias for organ (1994, 1998)


Recordings


Bassoon Quartet (2013), first performance by the Doune Bassoon Quartet
at the Rural Hall, Doune 8 May 2013. * ''The Little Linden Pipe'' (2016) for treble recorder, o
''Rawsthorne and Other Rarities''
Divine Art DDA 25169 (2018) * ''Passages of Flight'' (1995) song cycle, o
''Czech Songs Of The 20th Century''
Oliverius OL 0005-2 131 (1996)
Piano Quartet (2015), first performance by the Dvorak Piano Quartet
International Music Festival, Prague, Spring 2017. * Quintet for Treble Recorder and String Quartet (2010), o

Prima Facie PFCD 038 (2015) * ''Rain Songs'' (2010), ''Passages of Flight'' (1995), Piano Sonata (2005), Sonata for treble recorder (2013), Quintet for recorder and strings (2010), ''Festive Fantasia and Fugue'' for recorder and piano (2013), o

(2018) * Sonata for Harp (2000), o
''Contemporary Czech Music''
ArcoDiva UP 0081 (2005)


References


External links


Karel Janovický website

Karel Janovický, interviewed (in English) by Radio Prague International in February 2007

''Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze. The Czech Coup'', BBC radio documentary featuring Karel Janovický and Sylva Maiwaldová (2016)

Pavel Bořkovec Quartett performing Karel Janovický String Quartet No.1 in Martinu Hall Prague
* List of émigré composers in Britain * {{DEFAULTSORT:Janovicky, Karel 1930 births 2024 deaths Czech composers Czech male composers Musicians from Plzeň Janáček scholars