Vítězslava Kaprálová
Vítězslava Kaprálová (born on January 24, 1915 in Brno, died June 16, 1940 in Montpellier) was a Czech composer and conductor. Among her teachers were some of the best European composers and conductors of the time - Bohuslav Martinů, Václav Talich, and Charles Münch.[1]
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[edit] Life
She was a daughter of composer Václav Kaprál. In 1930-1935 Kaprálová studied composition with Vilém Petrželka and conducting with Zdeněk Chalabala at the Brno Conservatory. She continued her musical education with Vítězslav Novák (1935-1937) and Václav Talich (1835-1936) in Prague and with Bohuslav Martinů, Charles Münch (1937-1939), and Nadia Boulanger (1940) in Paris.[2] In 1937 she conducted Czech Philharmonic and a year later the BBC Orchestra in her composition Military Sinfonietta, to much critical acclaim. Her husband was the Czech writer Jiří Mucha whom she married two months before she died.[3]
Despite her untimely death in 1940, Kaprálová created an impressive body of work. There is no doubt that had she lived she would have become one of the most important women composers in Europe.[4] Her music was admired by Rafael Kubelík who premiered her orchestral song Waving Farewell and also conducted her other orchestral works. Among the many interpreters of her piano music was also the esteemed Rudolf Firkušný for whom Kaprálová composed her best known piano work April Preludes.[5] In 1946, in appreciation of her distinctive contribution, the foremost academic institution in the country - The Czech Academy of Sciences and the Arts - awarded Kaprálová membership in memoriam. By 1948 this honour was bestowed on only 10 women, out of 648 members of the Academy. Only one of the ten women was a musician - Kaprálová.[6]
Kaprálová's creative output includes her highly regarded art songs and music for piano solo, a string quartet, a reed trio, music for cello, music for violin and piano, a cantata, two piano concertos, two orchestral suites, a sinfonietta, and a concertino for clarinet, violin, and orchestra. Much of her music was published during her lifetime and continues to be published today (some compositions in subsequent editions) by various publishing houses, including the distinguished Bärenreiter Verlag. In addition, her music has been released on record and compact disc by a variety of labels, including Koch Records and Supraphon.[7] The long-overdue English biography of the composer was published in 2011 by Lexington Books. The book also includes a complete, annotated catalog of her works.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Hartog, Howard, ed. European Music in the Twentieth Century. Penguin Books, 1961.
- Sadie, Stanley and Rhian Samuel, eds. The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers. New York and London: W.W.Norton and Company, 1994.
- Sayer, Derek. The Coasts of Bohemia. Princeton University Press, 1998.
- kapralova.org
[edit] Bibliography
- HARTL, Karla and Erik ENTWISTLE, eds. The Kaprálová Companion. A guide to the life and music of Czech composer Vítězslava Kaprálová. 240 pp. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2011. ISBN 978-0-7391-6723-6
[edit] Selected works
- Five Piano Compositions
- Legend, op. 3, for violin and piano
- song cycle Two Songs, op. 4
- song cycle Sparks from Ashes, op. 5
- January, for tenor/soprano, flute, two violins, cello, and piano
- Sonata Appassionata, op. 6, for piano
- Piano Concerto in D-Minor, op. 7
- String Quartet, op. 8
- Three Piano Pieces, op. 9
- song cycle An Apple from the Lap, op. 10
- Military Sinfonietta, op. 11
- song cycle Forever, op. 12
- April Preludes for piano solo, op. 13
- Waving Farewell, for voice and piano/orchestra, op. 14
- Trio for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon
- Ilena, cantata for soli, mixed chorus, orchestra, and narrator, op. 15
- Variations sur le Carillon de l'eglise St-Etienne du Mont, for piano solo, op.16
- Elegy, for violin and piano
- Suita rustica, op. 19, for orchestra
- Partita, op. 20, for piano and strings
- Concertino for Violin, Clarinet, and Orchestra, op. 21
- song cycle Sung into the Distance, op. 22
- Prélude de Noel, for chamber orchestra
- Ritournelle pour violoncelle et piano, op. 25
[edit] Scores in print
[edit] Selected Discography
- Piano Solo / Piano and Violin: The Music of Vitezslava Kapralova, CD, Koch Records KIC-CD-7742
- Orchestral and Chamber Works: Vitezslava Kapralova: Portrait of the Composer, CD, Matous MK 0049-2011
- Piano Concerto and other works for keyboard: Vitezslava Kapralova, CD, Radioservis CRO722-2
- Art Songs: Forever Kapralova: Songs, CD, Supraphon SU3752-2 231
[edit] External links
- KAPRALOVA SOCIETY official website of the composer, maintained by the Kapralova Society in Toronto, Canada.
- Free scores by Vitezslava Kapralova at the International Music Score Library Project
