Karel Knittl

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Karel Knittl (1853–1907)

Karel Knittl (born October 4, 1853 in Polná , † March 17, 1907 in Prague ) was a Czech composer , conductor and music teacher .

Live and act

Karel Knittl, son of the organist Kašpar Knittl, discovered his musical talent early on. After attending grammar schools in Chrudim and Hradec Králové , he moved to Prague. Here he received his musical training at the František Pivoda Music School and the Prague Organ School from 1869 to 1875 and graduated in 1878 with a state examination.

He taught singing at various Prague schools and taught the organ and harmony at the organ school. In 1901 he was appointed administrative director at the Prague Conservatory , the director at that time was the composer Antonín Dvořák . After his death in 1904, Knittl took over the artistic direction of the conservatory and remained in this position until his death. He mainly taught harmony and instrument theory and made great contributions to teaching reform. He standardized the teaching procedures, created precise curricula and wrote textbooks. He was strongly committed to teaching the Czech language. He also conducted the conservatory orchestra.

From 1877 to 1890 and 1897 to 1901 he was the choirmaster of the most famous Czech choir of the time - the Prague Hlahol . His merit is the formation of a women's choir, which he integrated in Hlahol in 1879. As a result, what was originally a male choir became a mixed choir with a much broader repertoire. This year the ensemble consisted of 143 female and 200 male singers. Under Knittl's direction, Hlahol achieved a high artistic level and was also able to perform demanding works. The highlights include B. Requiem by Hector Berlioz , oratorio Christ by Franz Liszt , oratorio Stabat Mater and cantata Svatební košile (The wedding shirt ) by Antonín Dvořák, and the cantata Jarní romance by Zdeněk Fibich .

Karel Knittl also composed numerous songs, cantatas, choirs, orchestral and piano music. Little is known about his compositional legacy today. His educational writings became more important. The most important are: Nauka o skladbě homofonní ( The Teaching of Homophonic Composition ), Prague 1898, and Učebnice všeobecné nauky hudební ( Textbook of general music theory ), Prague 1910. Knittl also wrote many essays on music and was a music consultant for various magazines, such as . B. Národní listy , Hudební listy , Dalibor and Světozor .

He died in Prague and is buried in Olšany cemeteries .

Web links

Commons : Karel Knittl  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Knittl, Karel (1853-1907), musician. In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950, Vol. 3 (Lfg. 15, 1965), pp. 441f. .
  2. ↑ a b Knittl, Karel. In: Český hudební slovník osob a institucí. 2016 (Czech).;
  3. ↑ a b Karel Knittl (1853–1907). In: České sbory.cz. 2007 (Czech).;


personal data
SURNAME Knittl, Karel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech composer, conductor and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH October 4, 1853
PLACE OF BIRTH Polná
DATE OF DEATH March 17, 1907
Place of death Prague