Záboj and Slavoj are two invented national heroes of the Czech past, two minstrel-warriors. They are found in

Václav Hanka Václav Hanka (also written as ''Wenceslaus Hanka'') (10 June 1791 – 12 January 1861) was a Czechs, Czech philologist. Biography Hanka was born at Hořiněves near Hradec Králové. He was sent in 1807 to school at Hradec Králové, to esca ...

's spurious medieval

Manuscript of Dvůr Kralové A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has c ...

, allegedly "discovered" in 1817 in the tower of a local church and not exposed as a literary hoax, by

Jan Gebauer Jan Gebauer (8 October 1838 in Úbislavice – 25 May 1907 in Prague) was a significant expert on Czech studies and one of the most renowned Czech scientists of all times. His scientific work was influenced by the methods of positivism. Biograph ...

in Masaryk's journal ''

Athenaeum Athenaeum may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798 * ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921 * ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...

'', until 1886.

Cultural legacy

* ''Záboj'' (completed 1859) is an unstaged opera written by the music critic

Josef Leopold Zvonař Josef Leopold Zvonař (22 January 1824 – 23 November 1865) was a Czech composer, pedagogue, and music critic. Life and career Zvonař was born in Kublov, studied at the organ school in Prague with Pitsch, and worked as an assistant teache ...

for the opening of a Czech national opera, but never performed. The plot follows the exploits of the legendary hero Záboj from the Manuscript of Dvůr Králové.

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 ...

, a friend of Zvonař, conducted two extracts to some success, and Záboj's Act 1 aria - exhorting the men of Bohemia to stand against the enemy - was recorded by

Ivan Kusnjer Ivan Kusnjer (born 10 November 1951) is a Czech baritone opera singer.''ND a jeho předchůdci'' Vladimír Procházka - 1988 "KUSNJER Ivan * 10. 11. 1951 Rokycany. Zpévák. Po maturité na Stfední prúmyslové skole strojnické v Plzni studova ...

for a Panton LP in 1984. * The first symphonic poem in Czech was

Zdeněk Fibich Zdeněk Fibich (, 21 December 1850 in Všebořice – 15 October 1900 in Prague) was a Czech composer of classical music. Among his compositions are chamber works (including two string quartets, a piano trio, piano quartet and a quintet for pia ...

's Op. 37, ''Záboj, Slavoj a Ludĕk, symfonická básen.'' (1873); * Discovery of the hoax did not prevent unveiling of statues by

Josef Václav Myslbek Josef Václav Myslbek (20 June 1848 – 2 June 1922) was a Czech sculptor and medalist credited with founding the modern Czech sculpting style.Stech, V. V. Josef Vaclav Myslbek, Prague, 1954. Artia. Life Josef grew up poor in a suburb of Prague ...

in 1895 as one of four legendary groups on the

Palacký Bridge The Palacký Bridge (1876) () is a bridge in Prague. It is one of the oldest functioning bridges over the Vltava in Prague after the Charles Bridge. It was built as the third major bridge shortly after the 1868 opening of the Franz Joseph Bridge ...

in Prague. The four pairs of statues were later moved to the

Vyšehrad Vyšehrad (German: ''Wyschehrad,'' ''Prager Hochburg'', English: "upper castle") is a historic fort in Prague, Czech Republic, just over 3 km southeast of Prague Castle, on the east bank of the Vltava River. It was probably built in the 1 ...

. * ''Záboj'' (premiere 1918), a second opera of the same name, was composed by

Emanuel Chvála Emanuel Chvála (January 1, 1851 in Prague – October 28, 1924 in Prague) was a Czech composer and music critic. He studied engineering and worked all his life as a railway official in Prague. But he had also studied composition with Fibich and ...

to a poem by

Jaroslav Vrchlický Jaroslav Vrchlický (; 17 February 1853 – 9 September 1912) was a Czech people, Czech lyrical poet. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel prize in literature eight times. Life He was born Emilius Jakob Frida in Louny ...

.The Coasts of Bohemia: A Czech History - Page 146 Derek Sayer - 2000 Emanuel Chvala's opera Zaboj was premiered at the National Theater in 1918; its libretto comes from a poem of the same title by Jaroslav Vrchlicky. According to Hanka, Vaclav Tomek assigned Zaboj and Slavoj to the first half of the .."

References

Czech-language operas operas 1859 operas {{opera-stub