Karel Kovařovic
Karel Kovařovic (born December 9, 1862 in Prague ; died December 6, 1920 there ) was a Czech composer and conductor.
Life
Karel Kovařovic first studied clarinet, harp and piano at the Prague Conservatory , and he studied composition with Zdeněk Fibich . He began his career as a harpist at the Prague National Theater in 1879 . He accompanied the violinist František Ondříček on a tour in Poland. In 1885 he worked at the Czech Theater in Brno and from 1886 at the City Theater in Pilsen . In 1898 he took over the management of the music school founded by František Pivoda in Prague.
From 1900 he was head of opera at the Prague National Theater. In 1916 he reorganized Leoš Janáček's opera Jenůfa there, and this version finally helped the composer and the opera achieve a breakthrough.
His opera Psohlavci with a libretto by Jan Sladký after Alois Jirásek was a great success in 1898, he composed a total of seven operas, which were also performed. Kovařovic is known for his folk salon music.
Kovařovic became an associate member in 1901 and a full member in 1906 of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts . In 1910 he was appointed officer of the Académie française .
Works (selection)
- Operas
- Ženichové . (The Bridegrooms), Libretto Antonín Koukl after Simeon Karel Macháček; 3 acts (1882/83; first performance May 13, 1884 Prague National Theater
- Cesta oknem (The way through the window, originally Frasquitta) ,; Emanuel Züngl based on Eugène Scribe and Gustave Lemoine, world premiere February 11, 1886, Prague National Theater
- Noc Šimona a Judy (The Night of Simons and Judas), libretto by Karel Šípek based on Pedro Antonio de Alarcón ; First performance Nov. 5, 1892, Prague National Theater
- Edip král (King Oedipus), libretto August Vojtěch Nevšímal, first performed in 1894
- Psohlavci (The Dogs Heads ), Libretto Karel Šípek based on Alois Jirásek ) First performance April 24, 1898 Prague National Theater (German translation: Farmer's Law by Richard Batka , 1900)
- Na Starém bělidle (On the old Bleiche / The old wash house), libretto by Karel Šípek based on Božena Němcová , first performance on November 22, 1901, Prague National Theater
- additional
Ballet music; Stage music; Orchestral works; 3 string quartets; Songs; Salon music
literature
- Cyril Šálek: Kovařovic, Karel. In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . Second edition, personal section, volume 10 (Kemp - Lert). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 2003, ISBN 3-7618-1120-9 , Sp. 579-580 ( online edition , subscription required for full access)
Web links
- Literature by and about Karel Kovařovic in the catalog of the German National Library
- Literature by and about Karel Kovařovic in the bibliographic database WorldCat
- List of stage works by Karel Kovařovic based on the MGG at Operone
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kovařovic, Karel |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Czech composer and conductor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 9, 1862 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Prague |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 6, 1920 |
| Place of death | Prague |