Karel Svoboda

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Karel Svoboda (born December 19, 1938 in Prague , † January 28, 2007 in Jevany ) was a Czech composer . His compositions for the popular cartoon series Wickie and the Strong Men , Maya the Bee , Pinocchio and Nils Holgersson , as well as the fairy tale film Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella achieved greater fame .

life and career

Svoboda initially studied dentistry and became a member of the popular Czech rock band Mefisto in the 1950s . He has composed film scores, pieces for the Laterna magika in Prague and titles for many popular Czech singers, including hits for Karel Gott (about Once Around the World ), Václav Neckář , Helena Vondráčková and Marta Kubišová .

In Germany, Svoboda was best known for his music for films and television programs. He composed the music for popular cartoon series such as Wickie and the Strong Men , Čertík Fidibus ( The Little Devil Fidibus ), Maya the Bee , Pinocchio and Nils Holgersson . For Maya the Bee he also wrote the title song, The Maya the Bee , sung by Karel Gott ; The intro song of the Pinocchio cartoon series sung by Mary Roos was also popular . His compositions for Czech fairy tale and children's films are also well known, especially Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella .

Karel Svoboda received the diamond record in the Czech Republic for a total of more than ten million records sold.

Private life

Svoboda repeatedly had to struggle with strokes of fate: in 1993 Svoboda's first wife Hana Bohatová, whom he married in 1969, died of cancer, and in 2000 his then four-year-old daughter from his second marriage died of leukemia . Svoboda himself only barely survived a traffic accident in 2002.

On January 28, 2007, 68-year-old Svoboda shot himself in the garden of his house in Jevany near Prague. In addition to his second wife Vendula, he left behind his almost two-year-old son and two grown children from his first marriage. He found his final resting place in the Aldašín cemetery where he lived.

Karel Svoboda's younger brother, the engineer Jiří Svoboda, born on September 13, 1945 in Prague and died there on March 11, 2004, was also a Czech film music composer and sound engineer. He often worked with his brother.

Filmography (selection)

Svoboda composed the music for around 90 films and television series, including:

Musicals

  • "Noc na Karlstejne" (Eng. "Night on Karlstein")
  • “ Dracula ”, 1995, in German by Michael Kunze , world premiere: Friday, October 13, 1995 in Prague, first performance in German: April 30, 2004, Musical Theater Basel
  • "Monte Christo", 2000
  • “Golem”, 2006, book: Zdeněk Zelenka

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ focus.de: Maya the Bee: Composer shoots himself Article from January 29, 2007
  2. ↑ knerger.de: The grave of Karel Svoboda
personal data
SURNAME Svoboda, Karel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech pop composer
DATE OF BIRTH December 19, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Prague , Czech Republic
DATE OF DEATH January 28, 2007
Place of death Jevany , Czech Republic