PRAGUE AND CZECH REPUBLIC – Travel guide for opera, classical music and culture
PRAGUE AND CZECH REPUBLIC: a travel guide for music fans
Visit destinations for classical music and opera art with a historical connection. Get to know exciting ideas and background information
MAP OF THE DESTINATIONS OF THE TRAVEL GUIDE REGION PRAGUE AND CZECH REPUBLIC
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Bedřich Smetana
Acquaintance with Liszt
The Bohemian composer was born Friedrich Smetana in the Bohemian province in 1824. Educated in the German language in the tradition of the time, he did not learn the Czech language until he was an adult. His musical awakening, however, came as a teenager in Prague, when he heard Franz Liszt, with whom he later became friends. In his young adult years, he wrote minor works and he earned a living as a music teacher, partly as an employee of the court. In 1856, he left for Gothenburg with his wife and children because he was unhappy with the autocratic government in his homeland. Within a few years, two children died, and on the return trip from Gothenburg in 1859, his wife died of tuberculosis.
A life full of conflict
In 1860, the “Bartered Bride” was performed with good success at the Prague Interim Theater, the forerunner of the National Theater, where Smetana held the post of Kapellmeister. He actually wanted to become director of the theater, but because he was a supporter of the New Germans around Liszt and Wagner, he was denied. This feud dragged on during his tenure with many intrigues and quarrels, which ruined Smetana’s health. A tinnitus (according to him, an A-flat major sex chord) made itself felt and by 1873 Smetana was completely deaf and he retired from his post. Nevertheless, in the following years he composed his best-known work, “Ma Vlast” (“My Fatherland”). He wrote it in the countryside, where he had moved out with his second wife and children to live with his sister. The first piece of this 6-part cycle is called Vyšehrad, it is about the castle on the Vltava River, at the foot of which he was buried 10 years later.
Antonin Dvořák
Late discovery by Brahms
Born in 1841 in rural Bohemia, Prague became the center of his life from the beginning of his music studies in 1857. For 20 years he lived in the Czech capital as a mouse-poor student and orchestral musician. Alongside this, he composed smaller works, but it was not until he received a scholarship in 1874 that he was able to devote sufficient time to larger works.
In 1877 the breakthrough came with the honorable mentions first by the famous critic Hanslick and then mainly by the encouragement of Johannes Brahms. However, it was also during this period that the tragedies of the two child deaths occurred, which shook him while he was working on the Stabat Mater.
Triumph in the USA
In the 80’s concert tours to England helped him to prosperity and in the beginning of the 90’s the 2-year stay in the USA took place with the acclaimed premiere of his 9th symphony in New York, which helped him to fame. Dvořák died in Prague in 1904.
Leos Janáček
Life focus in Brno
Janáček kam als Jugendlicher ins mährische Brünn. Nach einem kurzen Musik-Studium in Prag liess er sich im Brünn nieder. Er heiratete eine ehemalige Klavierschülerin und wurde Leiter einer Musikschule. Er komponierte neben seinem Beruf, sein erstes Meisterwerk, die Oper «Jenufa», begann er 1894, beendete es aber erst 1904 mit einer Uraufführung im Nationaltheater Brünn. Es blieb aber weitgehend unbeachtet, erst eine 1916er Fassung machte das Werk (zusammen mit einem Aufsatz Max Brods in Deutschland) bekannt und der mittlerweile 62-jährige bekam zum ersten Mal breitere Aufmerksamkeit.
Late breakthrough as 62-year-old in Prague
Janáček spent his artistically active life in Prague. Nevertheless, Prague was fateful for his career in 1916. Finally, after an agonizingly long 12 years, Prague decided to perform “Jenufa,” which had already premiered in Brno in 1904. Although some changes were made to the work, thanks to the performance and an article by Max Brod published in Germany, the work became famous and Janáček, at the age of 62, became known to a wider public for the first time.
Richard Wagner
A childhood love in Prague
At the age of thirteen, Wagner lived in Dresden and visited Prague and fell unhappily in love with the daughter of a music-loving nobleman and acquaintance of the family, where he was allowed to live. A year later he came once again on foot from Dresden because he had no money for transportation. Two more times he visited the Pachtas later, each time accompanied by his wife. This palace still exists and the beautiful romantic courtyard still charms today. The building is occupied by the beautiful boutique hotel Smetana.
Wagner visited Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic, a dozen times, including the capital Prague several times. In his memoirs he wrote: “Above all, the ancient splendor and beauty of the incomparable city of Prague made an indelible impression on my imagination.”
On traces of the Middle Ages at the castle Strekow
Wagner besuchte Teplitz in seinen jüngeren Jahren mehrmals. Besonders bedeutsam waren die beiden Reisen 1842 und 1843, die er vom 50 Kilometer entfernten Dresden aus unternahm, wo er seit kurzem zum Kapellmeister ernannt worden war. Die Gegend scheint seine Phantasie angeregt zu haben, er arbeitete dort verschiedentlich an seinen Opern. Besonders die nahe Burg Schreckenstein beflügelte seine Imagination für die Schöpfung seines «Tannhäusers».
LINK TO THE COMPLETE WAGNER BIOGRAPHY
Bedřich Smetana
Acquaintance with Liszt
The Bohemian composer was born Friedrich Smetana in the Bohemian province in 1824. Educated in the German language in the tradition of the time, he did not learn the Czech language until he was an adult. His musical awakening, however, came as a teenager in Prague, when he heard Franz Liszt, with whom he later became friends. In his young adult years, he wrote minor works and he earned a living as a music teacher, partly as an employee of the court. In 1856, he left for Gothenburg with his wife and children because he was unhappy with the autocratic government in his homeland. Within a few years, two children died, and on the return trip from Gothenburg in 1859, his wife died of tuberculosis.
A life full of conflict
In 1860, the “Bartered Bride” was performed with good success at the Prague Interim Theater, the forerunner of the National Theater, where Smetana held the post of Kapellmeister. He actually wanted to become director of the theater, but because he was a supporter of the New Germans around Liszt and Wagner, he was denied. This feud dragged on during his tenure with many intrigues and quarrels, which ruined Smetana’s health. A tinnitus (according to him, an A-flat major sex chord) made itself felt and by 1873 Smetana was completely deaf and he retired from his post. Nevertheless, in the following years he composed his best-known work, “Ma Vlast” (“My Fatherland”). He wrote it in the countryside, where he had moved out with his second wife and children to live with his sister. The first piece of this 6-part cycle is called Vyšehrad, it is about the castle on the Vltava River, at the foot of which he was buried 10 years later.
Antonin Dvořák
Late discovery by Brahms
Born in 1841 in rural Bohemia, Prague became the center of his life from the beginning of his music studies in 1857. For 20 years he lived in the Czech capital as a mouse-poor student and orchestral musician. Alongside this, he composed smaller works, but it was not until he received a scholarship in 1874 that he was able to devote sufficient time to larger works.
In 1877 the breakthrough came with the honorable mentions first by the famous critic Hanslick and then mainly by the encouragement of Johannes Brahms. However, it was also during this period that the tragedies of the two child deaths occurred, which shook him while he was working on the Stabat Mater.
Triumph in the USA
In the 80’s concert tours to England helped him to prosperity and in the beginning of the 90’s the 2-year stay in the USA took place with the acclaimed premiere of his 9th symphony in New York, which helped him to fame. Dvořák died in Prague in 1904.
Leos Janáček
Life focus in Brno
Janáček kam als Jugendlicher ins mährische Brünn. Nach einem kurzen Musik-Studium in Prag liess er sich im Brünn nieder. Er heiratete eine ehemalige Klavierschülerin und wurde Leiter einer Musikschule. Er komponierte neben seinem Beruf, sein erstes Meisterwerk, die Oper «Jenufa», begann er 1894, beendete es aber erst 1904 mit einer Uraufführung im Nationaltheater Brünn. Es blieb aber weitgehend unbeachtet, erst eine 1916er Fassung machte das Werk (zusammen mit einem Aufsatz Max Brods in Deutschland) bekannt und der mittlerweile 62-jährige bekam zum ersten Mal breitere Aufmerksamkeit.
Late breakthrough as 62-year-old in Prague
Janáček spent his artistically active life in Prague. Nevertheless, Prague was fateful for his career in 1916. Finally, after an agonizingly long 12 years, Prague decided to perform “Jenufa,” which had already premiered in Brno in 1904. Although some changes were made to the work, thanks to the performance and an article by Max Brod published in Germany, the work became famous and Janáček, at the age of 62, became known to a wider public for the first time.
Richard Wagner
A childhood love in Prague
At the age of thirteen, Wagner lived in Dresden and visited Prague and fell unhappily in love with the daughter of a music-loving nobleman and acquaintance of the family, where he was allowed to live. A year later he came once again on foot from Dresden because he had no money for transportation. Two more times he visited the Pachtas later, each time accompanied by his wife. This palace still exists and the beautiful romantic courtyard still charms today. The building is occupied by the beautiful boutique hotel Smetana.
Wagner visited Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic, a dozen times, including the capital Prague several times. In his memoirs he wrote: “Above all, the ancient splendor and beauty of the incomparable city of Prague made an indelible impression on my imagination.”
On traces of the Middle Ages at the castle Strekow
Wagner besuchte Teplitz in seinen jüngeren Jahren mehrmals. Besonders bedeutsam waren die beiden Reisen 1842 und 1843, die er vom 50 Kilometer entfernten Dresden aus unternahm, wo er seit kurzem zum Kapellmeister ernannt worden war. Die Gegend scheint seine Phantasie angeregt zu haben, er arbeitete dort verschiedentlich an seinen Opern. Besonders die nahe Burg Schreckenstein beflügelte seine Imagination für die Schöpfung seines «Tannhäusers».
LINK TO THE COMPLETE WAGNER BIOGRAPHY
MUSEUMS
Bedřich Smetana
Acquaintance with Liszt
The Bohemian composer was born Friedrich Smetana in the Bohemian province in 1824. Educated in the German language in the tradition of the time, he did not learn the Czech language until he was an adult. His musical awakening, however, came as a teenager in Prague, when he heard Franz Liszt, with whom he later became friends. In his young adult years, he wrote minor works and he earned a living as a music teacher, partly as an employee of the court. In 1856, he left for Gothenburg with his wife and children because he was unhappy with the autocratic government in his homeland. Within a few years, two children died, and on the return trip from Gothenburg in 1859, his wife died of tuberculosis.
A life full of conflict
In 1860, the “Bartered Bride” was performed with good success at the Prague Interim Theater, the forerunner of the National Theater, where Smetana held the post of Kapellmeister. He actually wanted to become director of the theater, but because he was a supporter of the New Germans around Liszt and Wagner, he was denied. This feud dragged on during his tenure with many intrigues and quarrels, which ruined Smetana’s health. A tinnitus (according to him, an A-flat major sex chord) made itself felt and by 1873 Smetana was completely deaf and he retired from his post. Nevertheless, in the following years he composed his best-known work, “Ma Vlast” (“My Fatherland”). He wrote it in the countryside, where he had moved out with his second wife and children to live with his sister. The first piece of this 6-part cycle is called Vyšehrad, it is about the castle on the Vltava River, at the foot of which he was buried 10 years later.
Antonin Dvořák
Late discovery by Brahms
Born in 1841 in rural Bohemia, Prague became the center of his life from the beginning of his music studies in 1857. For 20 years he lived in the Czech capital as a mouse-poor student and orchestral musician. Alongside this, he composed smaller works, but it was not until he received a scholarship in 1874 that he was able to devote sufficient time to larger works.
In 1877 the breakthrough came with the honorable mentions first by the famous critic Hanslick and then mainly by the encouragement of Johannes Brahms. However, it was also during this period that the tragedies of the two child deaths occurred, which shook him while he was working on the Stabat Mater.
Triumph in the USA
In the 80’s concert tours to England helped him to prosperity and in the beginning of the 90’s the 2-year stay in the USA took place with the acclaimed premiere of his 9th symphony in New York, which helped him to fame. Dvořák died in Prague in 1904.
Leos Janáček
Life focus in Brno
Janáček kam als Jugendlicher ins mährische Brünn. Nach einem kurzen Musik-Studium in Prag liess er sich im Brünn nieder. Er heiratete eine ehemalige Klavierschülerin und wurde Leiter einer Musikschule. Er komponierte neben seinem Beruf, sein erstes Meisterwerk, die Oper «Jenufa», begann er 1894, beendete es aber erst 1904 mit einer Uraufführung im Nationaltheater Brünn. Es blieb aber weitgehend unbeachtet, erst eine 1916er Fassung machte das Werk (zusammen mit einem Aufsatz Max Brods in Deutschland) bekannt und der mittlerweile 62-jährige bekam zum ersten Mal breitere Aufmerksamkeit.
Late breakthrough as 62-year-old in Prague
Janáček spent his artistically active life in Prague. Nevertheless, Prague was fateful for his career in 1916. Finally, after an agonizingly long 12 years, Prague decided to perform “Jenufa,” which had already premiered in Brno in 1904. Although some changes were made to the work, thanks to the performance and an article by Max Brod published in Germany, the work became famous and Janáček, at the age of 62, became known to a wider public for the first time.
Richard Wagner
A childhood love in Prague
At the age of thirteen, Wagner lived in Dresden and visited Prague and fell unhappily in love with the daughter of a music-loving nobleman and acquaintance of the family, where he was allowed to live. A year later he came once again on foot from Dresden because he had no money for transportation. Two more times he visited the Pachtas later, each time accompanied by his wife. This palace still exists and the beautiful romantic courtyard still charms today. The building is occupied by the beautiful boutique hotel Smetana.
Wagner visited Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic, a dozen times, including the capital Prague several times. In his memoirs he wrote: “Above all, the ancient splendor and beauty of the incomparable city of Prague made an indelible impression on my imagination.”
On traces of the Middle Ages at the castle Strekow
Wagner besuchte Teplitz in seinen jüngeren Jahren mehrmals. Besonders bedeutsam waren die beiden Reisen 1842 und 1843, die er vom 50 Kilometer entfernten Dresden aus unternahm, wo er seit kurzem zum Kapellmeister ernannt worden war. Die Gegend scheint seine Phantasie angeregt zu haben, er arbeitete dort verschiedentlich an seinen Opern. Besonders die nahe Burg Schreckenstein beflügelte seine Imagination für die Schöpfung seines «Tannhäusers».
LINK TO THE COMPLETE WAGNER BIOGRAPHY
Bedřich Smetana
Acquaintance with Liszt
The Bohemian composer was born Friedrich Smetana in the Bohemian province in 1824. Educated in the German language in the tradition of the time, he did not learn the Czech language until he was an adult. His musical awakening, however, came as a teenager in Prague, when he heard Franz Liszt, with whom he later became friends. In his young adult years, he wrote minor works and he earned a living as a music teacher, partly as an employee of the court. In 1856, he left for Gothenburg with his wife and children because he was unhappy with the autocratic government in his homeland. Within a few years, two children died, and on the return trip from Gothenburg in 1859, his wife died of tuberculosis.
A life full of conflict
In 1860, the “Bartered Bride” was performed with good success at the Prague Interim Theater, the forerunner of the National Theater, where Smetana held the post of Kapellmeister. He actually wanted to become director of the theater, but because he was a supporter of the New Germans around Liszt and Wagner, he was denied. This feud dragged on during his tenure with many intrigues and quarrels, which ruined Smetana’s health. A tinnitus (according to him, an A-flat major sex chord) made itself felt and by 1873 Smetana was completely deaf and he retired from his post. Nevertheless, in the following years he composed his best-known work, “Ma Vlast” (“My Fatherland”). He wrote it in the countryside, where he had moved out with his second wife and children to live with his sister. The first piece of this 6-part cycle is called Vyšehrad, it is about the castle on the Vltava River, at the foot of which he was buried 10 years later.
Antonin Dvořák
Late discovery by Brahms
Born in 1841 in rural Bohemia, Prague became the center of his life from the beginning of his music studies in 1857. For 20 years he lived in the Czech capital as a mouse-poor student and orchestral musician. Alongside this, he composed smaller works, but it was not until he received a scholarship in 1874 that he was able to devote sufficient time to larger works.
In 1877 the breakthrough came with the honorable mentions first by the famous critic Hanslick and then mainly by the encouragement of Johannes Brahms. However, it was also during this period that the tragedies of the two child deaths occurred, which shook him while he was working on the Stabat Mater.
Triumph in the USA
In the 80’s concert tours to England helped him to prosperity and in the beginning of the 90’s the 2-year stay in the USA took place with the acclaimed premiere of his 9th symphony in New York, which helped him to fame. Dvořák died in Prague in 1904.
Leos Janáček
Life focus in Brno
Janáček kam als Jugendlicher ins mährische Brünn. Nach einem kurzen Musik-Studium in Prag liess er sich im Brünn nieder. Er heiratete eine ehemalige Klavierschülerin und wurde Leiter einer Musikschule. Er komponierte neben seinem Beruf, sein erstes Meisterwerk, die Oper «Jenufa», begann er 1894, beendete es aber erst 1904 mit einer Uraufführung im Nationaltheater Brünn. Es blieb aber weitgehend unbeachtet, erst eine 1916er Fassung machte das Werk (zusammen mit einem Aufsatz Max Brods in Deutschland) bekannt und der mittlerweile 62-jährige bekam zum ersten Mal breitere Aufmerksamkeit.
Late breakthrough as 62-year-old in Prague
Janáček spent his artistically active life in Prague. Nevertheless, Prague was fateful for his career in 1916. Finally, after an agonizingly long 12 years, Prague decided to perform “Jenufa,” which had already premiered in Brno in 1904. Although some changes were made to the work, thanks to the performance and an article by Max Brod published in Germany, the work became famous and Janáček, at the age of 62, became known to a wider public for the first time.
Richard Wagner
A childhood love in Prague
At the age of thirteen, Wagner lived in Dresden and visited Prague and fell unhappily in love with the daughter of a music-loving nobleman and acquaintance of the family, where he was allowed to live. A year later he came once again on foot from Dresden because he had no money for transportation. Two more times he visited the Pachtas later, each time accompanied by his wife. This palace still exists and the beautiful romantic courtyard still charms today. The building is occupied by the beautiful boutique hotel Smetana.
Wagner visited Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic, a dozen times, including the capital Prague several times. In his memoirs he wrote: “Above all, the ancient splendor and beauty of the incomparable city of Prague made an indelible impression on my imagination.”
On traces of the Middle Ages at the castle Strekow
Wagner besuchte Teplitz in seinen jüngeren Jahren mehrmals. Besonders bedeutsam waren die beiden Reisen 1842 und 1843, die er vom 50 Kilometer entfernten Dresden aus unternahm, wo er seit kurzem zum Kapellmeister ernannt worden war. Die Gegend scheint seine Phantasie angeregt zu haben, er arbeitete dort verschiedentlich an seinen Opern. Besonders die nahe Burg Schreckenstein beflügelte seine Imagination für die Schöpfung seines «Tannhäusers».
LINK TO THE COMPLETE WAGNER BIOGRAPHY
Bedřich Smetana
Acquaintance with Liszt
The Bohemian composer was born Friedrich Smetana in the Bohemian province in 1824. Educated in the German language in the tradition of the time, he did not learn the Czech language until he was an adult. His musical awakening, however, came as a teenager in Prague, when he heard Franz Liszt, with whom he later became friends. In his young adult years, he wrote minor works and he earned a living as a music teacher, partly as an employee of the court. In 1856, he left for Gothenburg with his wife and children because he was unhappy with the autocratic government in his homeland. Within a few years, two children died, and on the return trip from Gothenburg in 1859, his wife died of tuberculosis.
A life full of conflict
In 1860, the “Bartered Bride” was performed with good success at the Prague Interim Theater, the forerunner of the National Theater, where Smetana held the post of Kapellmeister. He actually wanted to become director of the theater, but because he was a supporter of the New Germans around Liszt and Wagner, he was denied. This feud dragged on during his tenure with many intrigues and quarrels, which ruined Smetana’s health. A tinnitus (according to him, an A-flat major sex chord) made itself felt and by 1873 Smetana was completely deaf and he retired from his post. Nevertheless, in the following years he composed his best-known work, “Ma Vlast” (“My Fatherland”). He wrote it in the countryside, where he had moved out with his second wife and children to live with his sister. The first piece of this 6-part cycle is called Vyšehrad, it is about the castle on the Vltava River, at the foot of which he was buried 10 years later.
Antonin Dvořák
Late discovery by Brahms
Born in 1841 in rural Bohemia, Prague became the center of his life from the beginning of his music studies in 1857. For 20 years he lived in the Czech capital as a mouse-poor student and orchestral musician. Alongside this, he composed smaller works, but it was not until he received a scholarship in 1874 that he was able to devote sufficient time to larger works.
In 1877 the breakthrough came with the honorable mentions first by the famous critic Hanslick and then mainly by the encouragement of Johannes Brahms. However, it was also during this period that the tragedies of the two child deaths occurred, which shook him while he was working on the Stabat Mater.
Triumph in the USA
In the 80’s concert tours to England helped him to prosperity and in the beginning of the 90’s the 2-year stay in the USA took place with the acclaimed premiere of his 9th symphony in New York, which helped him to fame. Dvořák died in Prague in 1904.
Leos Janáček
Life focus in Brno
Janáček kam als Jugendlicher ins mährische Brünn. Nach einem kurzen Musik-Studium in Prag liess er sich im Brünn nieder. Er heiratete eine ehemalige Klavierschülerin und wurde Leiter einer Musikschule. Er komponierte neben seinem Beruf, sein erstes Meisterwerk, die Oper «Jenufa», begann er 1894, beendete es aber erst 1904 mit einer Uraufführung im Nationaltheater Brünn. Es blieb aber weitgehend unbeachtet, erst eine 1916er Fassung machte das Werk (zusammen mit einem Aufsatz Max Brods in Deutschland) bekannt und der mittlerweile 62-jährige bekam zum ersten Mal breitere Aufmerksamkeit.
Late breakthrough as 62-year-old in Prague
Janáček spent his artistically active life in Prague. Nevertheless, Prague was fateful for his career in 1916. Finally, after an agonizingly long 12 years, Prague decided to perform “Jenufa,” which had already premiered in Brno in 1904. Although some changes were made to the work, thanks to the performance and an article by Max Brod published in Germany, the work became famous and Janáček, at the age of 62, became known to a wider public for the first time.
Richard Wagner
A childhood love in Prague
At the age of thirteen, Wagner lived in Dresden and visited Prague and fell unhappily in love with the daughter of a music-loving nobleman and acquaintance of the family, where he was allowed to live. A year later he came once again on foot from Dresden because he had no money for transportation. Two more times he visited the Pachtas later, each time accompanied by his wife. This palace still exists and the beautiful romantic courtyard still charms today. The building is occupied by the beautiful boutique hotel Smetana.
Wagner visited Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic, a dozen times, including the capital Prague several times. In his memoirs he wrote: “Above all, the ancient splendor and beauty of the incomparable city of Prague made an indelible impression on my imagination.”
On traces of the Middle Ages at the castle Strekow
Wagner besuchte Teplitz in seinen jüngeren Jahren mehrmals. Besonders bedeutsam waren die beiden Reisen 1842 und 1843, die er vom 50 Kilometer entfernten Dresden aus unternahm, wo er seit kurzem zum Kapellmeister ernannt worden war. Die Gegend scheint seine Phantasie angeregt zu haben, er arbeitete dort verschiedentlich an seinen Opern. Besonders die nahe Burg Schreckenstein beflügelte seine Imagination für die Schöpfung seines «Tannhäusers».
LINK TO THE COMPLETE WAGNER BIOGRAPHY
Bedřich Smetana
Acquaintance with Liszt
The Bohemian composer was born Friedrich Smetana in the Bohemian province in 1824. Educated in the German language in the tradition of the time, he did not learn the Czech language until he was an adult. His musical awakening, however, came as a teenager in Prague, when he heard Franz Liszt, with whom he later became friends. In his young adult years, he wrote minor works and he earned a living as a music teacher, partly as an employee of the court. In 1856, he left for Gothenburg with his wife and children because he was unhappy with the autocratic government in his homeland. Within a few years, two children died, and on the return trip from Gothenburg in 1859, his wife died of tuberculosis.
A life full of conflict
In 1860, the “Bartered Bride” was performed with good success at the Prague Interim Theater, the forerunner of the National Theater, where Smetana held the post of Kapellmeister. He actually wanted to become director of the theater, but because he was a supporter of the New Germans around Liszt and Wagner, he was denied. This feud dragged on during his tenure with many intrigues and quarrels, which ruined Smetana’s health. A tinnitus (according to him, an A-flat major sex chord) made itself felt and by 1873 Smetana was completely deaf and he retired from his post. Nevertheless, in the following years he composed his best-known work, “Ma Vlast” (“My Fatherland”). He wrote it in the countryside, where he had moved out with his second wife and children to live with his sister. The first piece of this 6-part cycle is called Vyšehrad, it is about the castle on the Vltava River, at the foot of which he was buried 10 years later.
Antonin Dvořák
Late discovery by Brahms
Born in 1841 in rural Bohemia, Prague became the center of his life from the beginning of his music studies in 1857. For 20 years he lived in the Czech capital as a mouse-poor student and orchestral musician. Alongside this, he composed smaller works, but it was not until he received a scholarship in 1874 that he was able to devote sufficient time to larger works.
In 1877 the breakthrough came with the honorable mentions first by the famous critic Hanslick and then mainly by the encouragement of Johannes Brahms. However, it was also during this period that the tragedies of the two child deaths occurred, which shook him while he was working on the Stabat Mater.
Triumph in the USA
In the 80’s concert tours to England helped him to prosperity and in the beginning of the 90’s the 2-year stay in the USA took place with the acclaimed premiere of his 9th symphony in New York, which helped him to fame. Dvořák died in Prague in 1904.
Leos Janáček
Life focus in Brno
Janáček kam als Jugendlicher ins mährische Brünn. Nach einem kurzen Musik-Studium in Prag liess er sich im Brünn nieder. Er heiratete eine ehemalige Klavierschülerin und wurde Leiter einer Musikschule. Er komponierte neben seinem Beruf, sein erstes Meisterwerk, die Oper «Jenufa», begann er 1894, beendete es aber erst 1904 mit einer Uraufführung im Nationaltheater Brünn. Es blieb aber weitgehend unbeachtet, erst eine 1916er Fassung machte das Werk (zusammen mit einem Aufsatz Max Brods in Deutschland) bekannt und der mittlerweile 62-jährige bekam zum ersten Mal breitere Aufmerksamkeit.
Late breakthrough as 62-year-old in Prague
Janáček spent his artistically active life in Prague. Nevertheless, Prague was fateful for his career in 1916. Finally, after an agonizingly long 12 years, Prague decided to perform “Jenufa,” which had already premiered in Brno in 1904. Although some changes were made to the work, thanks to the performance and an article by Max Brod published in Germany, the work became famous and Janáček, at the age of 62, became known to a wider public for the first time.
Richard Wagner
A childhood love in Prague
At the age of thirteen, Wagner lived in Dresden and visited Prague and fell unhappily in love with the daughter of a music-loving nobleman and acquaintance of the family, where he was allowed to live. A year later he came once again on foot from Dresden because he had no money for transportation. Two more times he visited the Pachtas later, each time accompanied by his wife. This palace still exists and the beautiful romantic courtyard still charms today. The building is occupied by the beautiful boutique hotel Smetana.
Wagner visited Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic, a dozen times, including the capital Prague several times. In his memoirs he wrote: “Above all, the ancient splendor and beauty of the incomparable city of Prague made an indelible impression on my imagination.”
On traces of the Middle Ages at the castle Strekow
Wagner besuchte Teplitz in seinen jüngeren Jahren mehrmals. Besonders bedeutsam waren die beiden Reisen 1842 und 1843, die er vom 50 Kilometer entfernten Dresden aus unternahm, wo er seit kurzem zum Kapellmeister ernannt worden war. Die Gegend scheint seine Phantasie angeregt zu haben, er arbeitete dort verschiedentlich an seinen Opern. Besonders die nahe Burg Schreckenstein beflügelte seine Imagination für die Schöpfung seines «Tannhäusers».
LINK TO THE COMPLETE WAGNER BIOGRAPHY
Bedřich Smetana
Acquaintance with Liszt
The Bohemian composer was born Friedrich Smetana in the Bohemian province in 1824. Educated in the German language in the tradition of the time, he did not learn the Czech language until he was an adult. His musical awakening, however, came as a teenager in Prague, when he heard Franz Liszt, with whom he later became friends. In his young adult years, he wrote minor works and he earned a living as a music teacher, partly as an employee of the court. In 1856, he left for Gothenburg with his wife and children because he was unhappy with the autocratic government in his homeland. Within a few years, two children died, and on the return trip from Gothenburg in 1859, his wife died of tuberculosis.
A life full of conflict
In 1860, the “Bartered Bride” was performed with good success at the Prague Interim Theater, the forerunner of the National Theater, where Smetana held the post of Kapellmeister. He actually wanted to become director of the theater, but because he was a supporter of the New Germans around Liszt and Wagner, he was denied. This feud dragged on during his tenure with many intrigues and quarrels, which ruined Smetana’s health. A tinnitus (according to him, an A-flat major sex chord) made itself felt and by 1873 Smetana was completely deaf and he retired from his post. Nevertheless, in the following years he composed his best-known work, “Ma Vlast” (“My Fatherland”). He wrote it in the countryside, where he had moved out with his second wife and children to live with his sister. The first piece of this 6-part cycle is called Vyšehrad, it is about the castle on the Vltava River, at the foot of which he was buried 10 years later.
Antonin Dvořák
Late discovery by Brahms
Born in 1841 in rural Bohemia, Prague became the center of his life from the beginning of his music studies in 1857. For 20 years he lived in the Czech capital as a mouse-poor student and orchestral musician. Alongside this, he composed smaller works, but it was not until he received a scholarship in 1874 that he was able to devote sufficient time to larger works.
In 1877 the breakthrough came with the honorable mentions first by the famous critic Hanslick and then mainly by the encouragement of Johannes Brahms. However, it was also during this period that the tragedies of the two child deaths occurred, which shook him while he was working on the Stabat Mater.
Triumph in the USA
In the 80’s concert tours to England helped him to prosperity and in the beginning of the 90’s the 2-year stay in the USA took place with the acclaimed premiere of his 9th symphony in New York, which helped him to fame. Dvořák died in Prague in 1904.
Leos Janáček
Life focus in Brno
Janáček kam als Jugendlicher ins mährische Brünn. Nach einem kurzen Musik-Studium in Prag liess er sich im Brünn nieder. Er heiratete eine ehemalige Klavierschülerin und wurde Leiter einer Musikschule. Er komponierte neben seinem Beruf, sein erstes Meisterwerk, die Oper «Jenufa», begann er 1894, beendete es aber erst 1904 mit einer Uraufführung im Nationaltheater Brünn. Es blieb aber weitgehend unbeachtet, erst eine 1916er Fassung machte das Werk (zusammen mit einem Aufsatz Max Brods in Deutschland) bekannt und der mittlerweile 62-jährige bekam zum ersten Mal breitere Aufmerksamkeit.
Late breakthrough as 62-year-old in Prague
Janáček spent his artistically active life in Prague. Nevertheless, Prague was fateful for his career in 1916. Finally, after an agonizingly long 12 years, Prague decided to perform “Jenufa,” which had already premiered in Brno in 1904. Although some changes were made to the work, thanks to the performance and an article by Max Brod published in Germany, the work became famous and Janáček, at the age of 62, became known to a wider public for the first time.
Richard Wagner
A childhood love in Prague
At the age of thirteen, Wagner lived in Dresden and visited Prague and fell unhappily in love with the daughter of a music-loving nobleman and acquaintance of the family, where he was allowed to live. A year later he came once again on foot from Dresden because he had no money for transportation. Two more times he visited the Pachtas later, each time accompanied by his wife. This palace still exists and the beautiful romantic courtyard still charms today. The building is occupied by the beautiful boutique hotel Smetana.
Wagner visited Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic, a dozen times, including the capital Prague several times. In his memoirs he wrote: “Above all, the ancient splendor and beauty of the incomparable city of Prague made an indelible impression on my imagination.”
On traces of the Middle Ages at the castle Strekow
Wagner besuchte Teplitz in seinen jüngeren Jahren mehrmals. Besonders bedeutsam waren die beiden Reisen 1842 und 1843, die er vom 50 Kilometer entfernten Dresden aus unternahm, wo er seit kurzem zum Kapellmeister ernannt worden war. Die Gegend scheint seine Phantasie angeregt zu haben, er arbeitete dort verschiedentlich an seinen Opern. Besonders die nahe Burg Schreckenstein beflügelte seine Imagination für die Schöpfung seines «Tannhäusers».
LINK TO THE COMPLETE WAGNER BIOGRAPHY
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