Traditional music and dance
Very roughly speaking, it is in the Bohemian and Moravian regions (which are also the most populated) that we find the emblematic traditions of Czech folklore. In the second, Moravia, the music and dance tell the local story, bearing witness to a Romanesque heritage, while incorporating influences from neighboring Slovakia. This can be seen in the Slovácko Verbuňk, the "rookie dance," a national treasure on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Designating an improvised dance performed by boys and men from South Moravia and Zlín, the verbuňk derives from the German word Werbung, which means "recruitment" and testifies, as Unesco explains, "to its origins related to the recruitment of dancers and soldiers for the army in the 18th century." Nowadays, the Slovácko Verbuňk is danced at festivals to music called the New Hungarian Songs. Curiously, the verbuňk does not follow a precise choreography, leaving the field open to the dancer's ability to improvise and creativity. A national pride, this dance is still widely practiced, especially at the famous international folk festival in Strážnice
, where there is even an annual competition for the best dancer.This improvisational character can also be found in another traditional dance of the region (and of Slovakia): theodzemek . Performed solo, it starts slowly and gradually accelerates. Antonín Dvořák composed a famous one among the famous Slavonic Dances . Moravia is also home to the cimbalom
, a struck string instrument (from the table zither family) played in small ensembles that also include a double bass, clarinet and violins. Some of these ensembles have achieved a small degree of fame, such as the Cimbálová muzika Slanina, whose repertoire ranges from the Moravian tradition to Slovak, Polish, Hungarian and Gypsy music, and the Cimbálová muzika Pramínky. The latter is known for having Gabriela Jilková, a prodigy of the instrument who often plays for Czech radio and television stations.It is in Bohemia that we come across the most famous traditional aesthetics since it is from here that the polka comes. A two-beat couple's dance with a fairly fast tempo and clear rhythms, the polka is distinguished by its circular movement. Derived from several popular dances of the time (notably the scottish
), it swept through Prague during the first half of the 19th century before conquering Vienna and then Paris and the whole of Europe at the beginning of the second half of the century. A few events where you can taste Czech folklore: the Folklore festival in Rožnov Pod Radhoštěm, where music, popular crafts, and cuisine (etc.) are combined, as well as Easter, in the same city, , which is a very beautiful celebration of folk customs and music. Also note that in Prague, the Folklore Garden allows you to discover Czech folk dances and traditions through a two-hour interactive program accompanied by a typical menu.Classical music
While the Baroque period bears within it some composers of importance to the country such as Adam Václav Michna and Jan Dismas Zelenka - major in their time - or Josef Mysliveček - often considered the father of Czech opera -, local musical culture takes off considerably from the 19th century onwards, at the height of the Romantic era
This fertile period reached its peak with BedřichSmetana (1824-1884), a national emblem who led Czech music to consecration on the greatest European stages. Considered the father of national music and sometimes dubbed the "Bohemian Verdi" thanks to his traditional, allegorical and patriotic creations, Smetana marked the musical creation of his country by being the first to dip his works in Czech folklore. Among them, Má Vlast ("My Homeland"), an 1879 symphony composed of six beautiful musical tableaux, or his opera Prodaná nevěsta("The Sold Bride") remain pillars of the Czech repertoire. Amusingly, this symbol of nationalist fever did not learn Czech until he was 35 years old and, much less amusingly, like Beethoven, became totally deaf before completing his last great symphony. Music lovers and enthusiasts will gladly go to the Smetana Days, which throughout the month of March organize concerts, exhibitions, or lectures related in some way to the composer, in the town of Pilsen, where he lived for three years
Immediately following Smetana, another giant of Czech music is about to shake up his world: Antonín Dvořák(1841-1904). A composer revealed by Brahms and Liszt, his work is deeply inspired by the folklore of Bohemia and Moravia, as evidenced by his famous Slavonic Dances, lively and beautiful. Of the nine symphonies he composed, the so-called "New World" symphony, which he wrote on his return from the United States (where he was director of the National Conservatory in New York), remains the most famous. His operas are rarely performed abroad, but for those who enjoy them, it is worth noting that Čert a Káča ("The Devil and Catherine") and Rusalka (based on Andersen 's The Little Mermaid ) are regularly performed in Prague. It is also worth noting that every September the Dvořák Prague Festival honors the composer in concerts held at the Rudolfinum, St. Vitus Cathedral, or other venues in the capital. One of the reasons why Dvořák has a special place in the Czech musical pantheon is that he was able to give traditional Slavic aesthetics their rightful place by introducing them into the great scholarly forms without damaging them or losing their essence. He laid the foundations of a national art and will open to his heirs Leoš Janáček or Bohuslav Martinů the way to an international consecration
The first, Leoš Janáček(1854-1928), took up Dvořák's plot with panache. A passionate composer and humanist, he spent most of his life in Brno and its region. It was not until he was 60 years old that his popularity spread beyond the borders of Moravia and reached Prague. This is all the more astonishing when one considers his importance in the national history of opera. Fans will flock to see and hear Jenufa or Káta Kabanová, his two most performed operas, or his masterpieces Sinfonietta, the Glagolitic Mass and Lettres intimes - which he composed at the age of 74. His music, not necessarily accessible, is recognizable among thousands, both rhythmically complex and particularly innovative in the harmonies or instrumentation. Dark and thick, the music of Leoš Janáček has sometimes been compared to that of Richard Wagner
During the interwar period, the immense talent of Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) emerged. Second violin in the Czechoslovak Philharmonic, where he was preparing to make a career, he was triggered by the performance of Albert Roussel's Le Poème de la forêt. Martinů did not hesitate and left for Paris to follow this new master. From a trip that was to last a few weeks, Martinů would never return. At once marked by the music of Maurice Ravel, Paul Dukas, and Claude Debussy, while remaining rooted in Czech culture and folklore, Martinů's highly fertile career - 384 works in thirty-five years of incessant creation - would elevate him to a celebrity that made him considered one of the most important symphonists since Sibelius
The Prague coup of 1948 would put an end to the proliferation of cultural influences from Vienna, Paris, and London. The new policy of the socialist state limited the number of instrumentalists who, paradoxically, had never been so numerous, as musicians could obtain exit visas... a rare commodity! When the 1960s opened the door to Western accents, one pianist-composer in particular stood out, Ilja Hurník, whose work, marked by folklore and humor, gave him a special place in the Czech musical landscape.
Then as now, theCzech Philharmonic Orchestra (Česká filharmonie) stands out as the leading and most prestigious symphonic ensemble in the Czech Republic. Established at the end of the 19th century, it has grown to greatness under the baton of the great Václav Talich. His two decades of leadership have made the ensemble one of the most impressive in Central Europe and have allowed it to perform throughout the continent. In addition to Talich, the Philharmonic has seen almost all of the greatest Czech conductors conduct. After him came Rafael Kubelík, who was also director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Karel Ančerl, with his clear, refined conducting, one of the greatest of his time (one must listen to his multiple interpretations of the Slavonic Dances), Václav Neumann, also Masur's predecessor at the Gewandhaus, or Jiří Bělohlávek, who was also director of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In addition to conducting prestigious international ensembles, they all have in common that they excel in the Czech repertoire and have given the world some of the greatest interpretations of Smetana, Dvořák, Janáček or Martinů
The prestigious home of the Prague Philharmonic is, of course, the Rudolfinum, a magnificent neo-Renaissance building from the late 19th century set along the Vltava River. Together with the Municipal House (Obecní Dům), it is the capital's main hall. The latter is a magnificent building constructed between 1906 and 1911, a pure product of the Secession, decorated by the greatest Czech artists of this movement: Mucha, Aleš, Preisler, Švabinský, Šaloun... It is here, in the impressive Smetana concert hall (1,500 seats), that the Pražké Jaro international music festival, the Prague Spring, kicks off each year to the sound of Má Vlast. For, yes, for Westerners, the term "Prague Spring" evokes the wind of freedom that blew before the Soviet intervention, but for Czechs, the term is primarily associated with this festival, which was created after the war in 1946. Since then, it has been one of the most prestigious festivals in the city, and even in the country and Europe. The large halls are sold out when the best national and international artists of the classical repertoire perform.
Of course, in such a music-loving country, there are many other quality events. In Prague, for example, Struny Podzimu, the "Autumn Strings", a classical music festival that takes place in many of the capital's most emblematic places - including the castle grounds - is organized, as is the Winter Music Festival, which offers some great acts as well as dances. Regionally, in southern Bohemia, the Five-Petalled Rose Festival in the streets of Český Krumlov with its Renaissance atmosphere and the Třeboňská Nocturna festival in Třebon Castle are more than recommendable. In western Bohemia, in the spa town of Mariánske Lázně, the Chopin Festival (Chopinův Festival) focuses on the music and life of the composer.
Jazz
The foundations of jazz in Czechoslovakia were laid by pioneers like Jaroslav Ježek in the 1920s. An avant-garde composer, Ježek first turned to chamber music influenced by Stravinsky, the Group of Six or Schönberg before finding his voice somewhere between jazz and classical. Ježek's influence in jazz was remarkable for a long time. When he left for the U.S. in 1939, his aesthetic blend of jazz and classical music was among the most popular in the country.
After the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, jazz was banned and then, under the Stalinist regime, barely tolerated. Jazz was then played and listened to clandestinely, but it brought together most of the intellectuals of the time and a scene developed in the shadows. The 1960s were a turning point and even the beginning of a golden age for Czech jazz. One of the possible reasons for the blossoming of the genre throughout the Soviet Union was the accession to power of Leonid Brezhnev, in 1964, who was said to be a jazz enthusiast. Coincidence or not, 1964 was also the year of the first international jazz festival in Prague, where many jazzmen met. Jazz became the trendy genre played in clubs and many bands were formed. At the end of the 1960s, the leading jazz musicians of the time began to appear: Jirí Stivín, Emil Viklicky, Milan Svoboda and Jana Koubková. Jirí Stivín is a flutist in the vein of Herbie Mann, also a clarinetist and saxophonist who has won over free jazz fans around the world. Emil Viklicky is a pianist/organist, probably the most revered of the Czech scene, known for the funky touch of his jazz. Milan Svoboda is also a pianist, but with a clear influence of Keith Jarrett. Finally, Jana Koubková has made a name for herself with her vocal experiments.
Having said that, at the time, the most famous figure in Czech jazz was undoubtedly Gustav Brom and his swing band, which even the American press of the time regularly wrote about. Today the Czech jazz tradition is in the capable hands of saxophonist Štěpán Markovič, guitarist David Dorůžka or pianist Ondřej Pivec. Great names to be found sometimes on the stage of the famous jazz club Agharta, especially during theAgharta Prague Jazz Festival, usually in April and November, or that of the Jazz Dock, one of the most recent references in Prague in terms of jazz, installed at the water's edge, on the banks of the Vltava.Theater and puppets
A unique and ancient tradition of Czech theater is puppet theater. One hundred and fifty years old, this practice began as a travelling art form and is today an important national symbol of Czech and Slovak culture. Puppeteers used wooden figures as a means of expressing their thoughts and ideas without fear of reprisal, especially when speaking about politics. These theaters are also used playfully to tell children about the world around them. The National Puppet Theatre
in Prague, dedicated to this art, is proof that the tradition lives on today. The entire population enjoys attending local performances on holidays and public holidays. Since 2016, the puppet theater has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by Unesco.It is impossible to discuss Czech theater without at least touching on two of its figures. First, Karel Čapek (1890-1938), who in 1920 invented the word "robot" - robota being the Czech word for "work" - in his play R.U.R., Rossum's Universal Robots
, a figure of local political writing. Then Václav Havel (1936-2011) of course. If he remains here the symbol of the Velvet Revolution and his political commitment (he was elected president in 1989), he first earned his letters of nobility by writing plays critical of power. Little known outside of the Czech Republic, his work as a whole features absurdist comedy depicting the experience of the individual in the face of social mechanisms and focuses on dissent and censorship under the Communist yoke. (Slavic) theater lovers should not hesitate to visit the Národní Divadlo (National Theater), one of the most impressive theaters in Prague, which also offers operas, ballets and classical concerts, or Laterna Magika, the experimental stage of the National Theater, which has been in existence since 1959. On the festival side, the 4 dnyvpohybu programs eight very interesting days every year in October, while the Shakespeare Festival, the oldest street theater event in Prague, hosts numerous plays of all genres.
