Bohuslav Martinů

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Bohuslav Martinů (around 1942)
Memorial plaque on the church in Polička

Bohuslav Martinů (* 8. December 1890 in Polička , East Bohemia , Austria-Hungary ; † 28. August 1959 in Liestal , Switzerland ) listen ? / I was a Czech composer of the neoclassicism . Audio file / audio sample

Life

Martinů - son of a shoemaker and tower maker - received his first violin lessons from the tailor in his hometown. Thanks to his remarkable progress, the townspeople financed him to study at the Prague Conservatory , where he studied violin with Josef Suk from 1906 and organ and composition from 1909. In 1910, however, he was excluded from classes due to lack of interest. Nevertheless, he obtained his diploma as a violin teacher in 1912. In 1913 and 1914 he played the second violin as a guest with the Czech Philharmonic in Prague . He spent the First World War as a music teacher in his hometown; he was classified as unfit for military service. From 1918 to 1923 Martinů was again a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic, according to the Riemann Musiklexikon 2012 as a regular member from 1920. In 1922 and 1923 he repeatedly took composition lessons from Josef Suk and moved to Paris in 1923 to complete his composition studies with Albert Roussel . There he met Charlotte Léonie Victorine Quennehen (1894–1978), whom he married in 1931. They lived in Paris until 1940 and occasionally enjoyed staying with Martinů's patron Paul Sacher on Schönenberg. When his music was banned by the National Socialists in his home country and the arrival of German troops in Paris became apparent, he fled, lived in Aix-en-Provence for a few months and traveled to the USA within nine months with brief stops in Marseille and Lisbon out.

United States

Martinů taught composition in the USA from 1941 to 1953, including at the music festival in Tanglewood , in western Massachusetts , and at Princeton University , in New Jersey (until 1948), then at the Mannes School of Music in New York . He did not take up a professorship for composition at the newly founded Prague Conservatory, which he received in 1945, due to personal fate and the general situation in Czechoslovakia . In 1952 he received American citizenship.

In 1953 he returned to Europe, where he lived in Nice until 1955 and briefly in Rome . He then taught at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia for a year . In 1955 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters .

Switzerland

Martinů spent the last years of his life in Switzerland from 1956 , only interrupted by his work as a teacher at the American Music Academy in Rome in 1956/57. In Switzerland he lived with Paul Sacher in Pratteln BL, on the family seat of Schönenberg. Thanks to a special permit, he was also buried there after he died in Liestal Canton Hospital in Basel in 1959. His wife wanted to be buried next to him, which would have required a second special permit and was unlikely in Pratteln. In 1975, she therefore stipulated that Martinů's remains should be transferred to Polička. However, this only happened after her death on November 23, 1978; on July 12, 1979 the decision was made and on August 16, Martinů's remains were transferred to his homeland, where his wife Charlotte was also buried. The state funeral took place on August 27th. In 1992, the Vice Rector of the University of Prague Paul Sacher awarded a medal for his services to Bohuslav Martinů and his work.

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style

Martinů worked quickly and he was a versatile composer. His extensive and varied oeuvre shows some basic constants: It is noticeable that there is always a close connection to Czech folk music , which often makes his work appear very “musical”. His compositions are often vital and dance-like. Martinů's rhythm is particularly differentiated, with an attractive tension between regular and irregular elements as well as constant changes in time. The harmony is relatively traditional, but has its own characteristics - completely new contexts and timbres are created; sticking to an expanded tonality does not rule out harsh dissonances . Martinů prefers freer, rhapsodic forms to conventional forms; The basis of his music are not so much themes as motifs that undergo a complex transformation. While he was initially particularly influenced by Impressionism , the encounter with the music of Igor Stravinsky and the Groupe des Six in Paris had a lasting influence on his work. From this time he turned to neoclassicism and partly built elements of jazz into his tonal language. Some of his later works show a tendency towards a relaxed diatonic , but there are exceptions (such as the parables ).

Martinů's understanding of music was in contrast to the traditional conception of Romanticism. For him, music was not a subjective, emotional commitment with ideological significance, but rather a game of tones. That is why he has composed many works that can be described as "house music". Some of his later works, of course, contradict this view and are more devoted to philosophical lines of thought. Martinů is one of the most important Czech composers. His work, especially his orchestral works and chamber music, has recently received increasing public attention.

Works (selection)

Martinů's works are listed and numbered in the Halbreich index (H). The Bärenreiter-Verlag Kassel began in April 2015 with a complete edition based on the Harry Halbreich directory.

Orchestral works

  • Symphony No. 1 H 289 (1942)
  • Symphony No. 2 H 295 (1943)
  • Symphony No. 3 H 299 (1944)
  • Symphony No. 4 H 305 (1945)
  • Symphony No. 5 H 310 (1946)
  • Symphony No. 6 H 343 Symphonic Fantasies (1953)
  • Half-Time , Rondo H 142 (1924)
  • La bagarre H155 (1927)
  • Memorial for Lidice H 296 (1943)
  • Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca H 352 (1954/55)
  • Parabolas H 367 (1958)
  • Tre ricercari H 267 (1938)
  • Toccata e due canzoni H 311 (1946), a work commissioned by Paul Sacher
  • Sinfonietta La Jolla H 328 (1950)
  • Suites and a number of occasional works

Concerts

  • Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major, H 149 (1925)
  • Piano Concerto No. 2 H 237 (1934)
  • Piano Concerto No. 3 H 316 (1948)
  • Piano Concerto No. 4 H 358 Incantation (1956)
  • Piano Concerto No. 5 H 366 Fantasia concertante (1958)
  • Divertimento (Concertino) for piano (left hand) and orchestra H 173 (1926)
  • Concertino for piano and orchestra H 269 (1938)
  • Sinfonietta giocosa for piano and orchestra H 282 (1940)
  • Violin Concerto No. 1 H 232bis (1932/33)
  • Violin Concerto No. 2 H 293 (1943)
  • Suite concertante for violin and orchestra in D major, H 276 (1939, rev. 1944)
  • Concerto da camera for violin and string orchestra with piano and percussion H 285 (1941)
  • Rhapsody Concerto for Viola and Orchestra H 337 (1952)
  • Violoncello Concerto No. 1 H 196 (1930, rev. 1955)
  • Violoncello Concerto No. 2 H 304 (1945)
  • Sonata da camera for violoncello and chamber orchestra H 283 (1940)
  • Concertino for violoncello, wind instruments, piano and percussion in C minor, H 143 (1924)
  • Concerto for oboe and small orchestra H 353 (1955)
  • Concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra H 246 (1935)
  • Concerto for string quartet with orchestra H 207 (1931)
  • Concerto for piano trio with orchestra H 231 (1933)
  • Concertino for piano trio and string orchestra H 232 (1933)
  • Concerto for flute, violin and orchestra in G major, H 252 (1936)
  • Double concerto for 2 string orchestras, piano and timpani H 271 (1938), a commission from Paul Sacher
  • Duo concertant for 2 violins and orchestra H 264 (1937)
  • Concerto for 2 violins and orchestra (No. 2) H 329 (1950)
  • Concerto for 2 pianos and orchestra H 292 (1943)
  • Sinfonia concertante No. 1 for 2 orchestras H 219 (1932)
  • Sinfonia concertante No. 2 for violin, violoncello, oboe, bassoon and orchestra H 322 (1949), a work commissioned by Paul Sacher
  • Concerto grosso for chamber orchestra H 263 (1937)
  • Concerto for violin, piano and orchestra H 342 (1953)

Stage works

Operas

  • Voják a Tanečnice (The Soldier and the Dancer) H 162 (1926)
  • Larmes de couteau (Knife's Tears) H 169 (1928)
  • Les trois souhaits ou Les vicissitudes de la vie (The Three Wishes or The Vicissitudes of Life) H 175 (1929)
  • Le jour de bonté (The Day of Charity) H 194 (1931)
  • Hry o Marii (Marienspiele) H 236 (1934)
  • Hlas lesa (The Voice of the Forest) H 243 (1935)
  • Veselohra na mostě (Comedy on the Bridge) H 247 (1935)
  • Divadlo za branou (The Suburban Theater ) H 251 (1936)
  • Juliette H 253 (1938)
  • Alexandre bis (twice Alexander) H 255 (1937)
  • What men live by ( What men live by ) H 336 (1952)
  • The marriage H 341 (1952)
  • Plainte contre inconnu (charges against unknown persons ) H 344 (1953)
  • Mirandolina H 346 (1954)
  • Ariane H 370 (1958)
  • The Greek Passion H 372 (1958)

Ballets in total 13

  • Istar H 130 (1923)
  • Kdo je na světě nejmocnější (Who is the most powerful on earth) H 133 (1923)
  • Špalíček (bundle of songs) H 214 / I (1931–33)
  • Špalíček (song bundle) H 214 / II (1940)

Vocal music

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh , cantata H 351 (premier 1958), commissioned by Paul Sacher
  • numerous cantatas and hymns
  • Polní Mše (Field Mass ) for baritone, male choir and orchestra H 279 (1939)
  • Romance z pampelišek (Dandelion Romance) for mixed choir and solo soprano (1957)
  • Česká říkadla (Czech Children's Verses ), six four-part female choirs based on words of folk poetry (1930/31)
  • Čtyři písně o Marii (Four songs about Mary) for mixed choir based on folk poetry (1934)
  • České madrigaly (Czech Madrigals), eight madrigals for women and men based on Moravian folk poetry (1939)
  • Pět českých madrigalů (Five Czech Madrigals) for soprano, alto, tenor and bass on folk poetry (1948)
  • Tři písně posvátné (Three Spiritual Songs) for female choir with violin based on Moravian folk poetry (1952)
  • Tři zpěvy, three six-part women's choirs on words of folk poetry (1952)
  • Zbojnické písně (Robber songs), ten male choirs based on Moravian folk poetry (1957)
  • Madrigaly, four madrigals for soprano, alto, tenor and bass based on Moravian folk poetry (1959)
  • Songs

Piano and chamber music

  • Loutky (Marionetten) for piano (Booklet IH 137 1924, Booklet II H 116 1914–1918, Booklet III H 92 1912–1914)
  • 7 string quartets (No. 1 H 117, 1918, No. 2 H 150, 1925, No. 3 H 183, 1929, No. 4 H 256, 1937, No. 5 H 268, 1938, No. 6 H 312, 1956 , No. 7 H 314 Concerto da Camera , 1947)
  • 1 string quintet with 2 violas (H 164)
  • 3 piano trios (No. 1 Cinq pièces brèves H 193, 1930, No. 2 H 327, 1950, No. 3 H 332, 1951)
  • 2 piano quintets (No. 1 H 229, 1933, No. 2 H 298, 1944 New York)
  • Toccata e due canzoni
  • numerous sonatas for violin (s), viola, violoncello No. 1–3 (H. 277, H. 286, H. 340), flute (H. 306) , clarinet, trumpet and piano
  • Serenades
  • Piano Sonata H 350 (1954)
  • numerous small piano pieces

literature

  • Aleš Březina: The Martinů manuscripts in the Paul Sacher Foundation Basel . In: Schweizer Jahrbuch für Musikwissenschaft 14, 1994, ISSN  0259-3165 , pp. 157-174.
  • Aleš Březina and Ivana Rentsch , eds .: Continuity of Change. Bohuslav Martinů in the history of music in the 20th century = Continuity of change. Bohuslav Martinů in the Twentieth-Century music history , table of contents Lang, Bern 2010, ISBN 978-3-0343-0403-0
  • Michael David Crump: The Symphonies of Bohuslav Martinů. An analytical study . University of Birmingham, Birmingham 1986, (dissertation).
  • Harry Halbreich : Bohuslav Martinů - catalog raisonné and biography . 2nd revised edition. Schott, Mainz et al. 2007, ISBN 3-7957-0565-7 .
  • Gabriele Jonté: Bohuslav Martinů in the USA. His symphonies in the context of the years of exile 1940–1953 , von Bockel, Neumünster 2013, ISBN 978-3-932696-96-1 .
  • Brian Large : Martinů . Duckworth, London 1975, ISBN 0-7156-0770-7 .
  • Charlotte Martinů: My life with Bohuslav Martinů . Orbis, Prague 1978.
  • Ivana Rentsch: echoes of the avant-garde: Bohuslav Martinůs operas from the interwar period (= supplements to the archive for musicology , vol. 61), Stuttgart: Steiner, 2007.
  • Miloš Šafránek: Divadlo Bohuslav Martinů. Vybral, sestavil a úvodní studii napsal . Supraphon, Prague 1979.

Web links

Commons : Bohuslav Martinů  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Hugo Riemann: Riemann Musiklexikon . Ed .: Wolfgang Ruf. 13th updated edition. tape 3 . Schott Verlag, Mainz 2012, p. 300 f .
  2. ↑ Charlotte Martinů
  3. ↑ Members: Bohuslav Martinů. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed April 12, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Erich Singer: Bohuslav Martinůs last journey. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . October 28, 2018, accessed November 6, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Naxos.com . Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ The new Merker.eu . Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  7. ↑ See web link.
  8. ^ Online catalog ( Memento of June 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) of the Martinů Foundation
personal data
SURNAME Martinů, Bohuslav
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech-American composer of the modern age
DATE OF BIRTH December 8, 1890
PLACE OF BIRTH Polička , East Bohemia
DATE OF DEATH August 28, 1959
Place of death Liestal near Basel