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Cyril Metoděj Hrazdira - Composer
by Franto Hruz Online Income Systems Development When researching Cyril Metoděj Hrazdira (16-Jan-1868 - 3-Dec-1926), the first thing one finds, is his connection to Leos Janacek and the premier performance of Janacek's opera "Jenufa" which C.M. Hrazdira conducted 21-Jan-1904 in Brno.The following are more details about the composer, his life and his work ...
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Translated from Czech into English by Franz Hrazdira
His Life ==
Born as the eldest of twelve children of John HRAZDÍRA (1845-1932), a cooper in the distillery warehouse clerk and later on the track in the tomatoes, and his wife Mariana, born Dosedlová (1844-1918).
Fundamentals of musical education was at primary school in the hometown of teachers Franz Joseph Formanek and Tommy, then parents sent him to study at the Slavic gymnasium in Brno. The local prof. drawing Josef Green noticed his painterly talent and recommended him to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Hrazdira but opted for music and Slavic grammar school he transferred in 1885 to the organ school Leoš Janáček, with whom he entered into a lifelong friendship. He graduated 1888.
1886 L. Janáček had recommended him to the post of organist and choirmaster at the Basilica of the Assumption of the Old Monastery, was also choirmaster Cyrillské unity on Wed Brno. At that time (1887) he also made his debut with his own work.
He served his military service in the years 1888-1891 in the band 93 Infantry Regiment in Manchester, where he personally met with many important personalities (Z. Fibich, JB Foerster, A. Dvořák, etc.). Also was friends with a local bandleader, composer Josef Nešvera, who spread and published Hrazdíra's own creation. Later he worked in Polish Ostrava as director of the choir (12. May 1891 - 8. Aug. 1898). In 1893 he founded the choir Záboj and became choirmaster, he also performed the same function in association with Lumír in neighboring Moravian Ostrava. As such, to a large extent, he contributed to the enhancement of the cultural and national life in Ostrava, often in collaboration with composer Eduard 'Patriotic' Bartonička (1855-1915).
In 1898-99 he was active in Sevastopol (bandleader Marine Band) and then in Vasilková (bandmaster of the 27th Cavalry). After returning from Russia, he became the director of the choir in Přívoze in Ostrava, he again took the post of choirmaster Association Lumír.
Significant is his tenure as conductor of the Czech National Theatre in Brno (in the original building on the street Veveří "U Marovských", demolished in 1952) from August 1903 to 31 Jan 1907. As first opera conductor, he was responsible for the quality repertoire level, said over forty operas, often focusing on new music. He also emphasized the opera by Leos Janacek's, Jenufa. At the time he was director of the National Theatre Opera, it was rejected in Prague by Charles Kovařovic, so the world premiere took place in Brno 21 Jan 1904 opera on stage said Hrazdira in collaboration with director J. Small and theater director Alois Doubravským. Further, among others, featured works by A. Dvorak, J. Suk, JB Foerster, B. Smetana, V. Blodek of the world's PI Tchaikovsky, F. Liszt, C. Saint-Saëns and others from their own works staged as an opera Ječmínek inspired Moravian reputation.
After leaving the theater he worked in the Big Mezirící as a music teacher and director of the hud schools since 1908 as a bandleader theater company in Ostrava.
From 1910 he worked in the Balkans - the city and dómským bandleader in Split, then moved to Ljubljana, where he took the post of conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic and the prof. music at school, then conductor in Zagreb.
In the Balkans, he remained even after Czechoslovakia - took place in the conductor of musical associations Zvonimír in Split.
Only at the end of his life he returned to his homeland and lived in Brno. He also was driving to his home Tomatoes, where he stayed with his sister Aloisie, marry. Eder at No. 244, where he spent ages also Hrazdirův father. At the fourth house he was 6th 2005 a memorial plaque.
He died of cancer in Brno on 6. Dec 1926, and was buried at the Central Cemetery (group 47, grave No. 52 - on 16. Oct 2007 the City Council declared it an Honorary Grave).
His Works ==
CM HRAZDÍRA's own work is quite broad and covers varied themes, as separate composer started quite early even as organist of the Old Monastery. For action to regulate the Silesian Ostrava folk songs and mining, while through them to his work has penetrated the social element, locally and historically typical. It is these adaptations of his works have survived perhaps the longest.
Abroad fame as a tireless promoter of Czech music - including an annual concert in Split April 1924 on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the birth of Bedrich Smetana.
Otherwise, he devoted more or less all areas: writing songs for piano, harmonium and Orchestra (Overture to Zeyer drama Neklan Overture, suite from the seaside, Spring Idyll, etc.) are an important part of the work songs and choruses (moods and whims, Hanácká pesnicka, rich, orphans Černovským, Wishful Thinking, Three miners' songs, Kiss, The Woods Moravian, etc.), as well as church songs, cantatas (Te Deum Laudamus, snowy country, our hymn, etc.), operas and operettas (Barley, The Fatal bet (sometimes also bet námluvčím), Treasure, etc.), music stage (k Jiráskovo Lantern, etc.) and chamber. Tracks Te Deum Laudamus and Our hymn were honored former Czech Academy of Emperor Franz Joseph of Sciences, Letters and Arts. He also wrote articles and music papers, which were published in various periodicals (Moravian-Silesian Music Journal - edited by his friend E. Bartoníček, LN, etc.)
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A short prifile of C.M. Hrazdira in Czech
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Jakov Gotovac (October 11, 1895 - October 16, 1982) was a Croatian composer and conductor of classical music. He is the author of the most famous Croatian opera, the comic Ero s onoga svijeta ("Ero the joker"), which first played in Zagreb in 1935.
Biography
Gotovac was born in Split (then part of Austria-Hungary) and initially had little if any formal education in music. Jakov was fortunate to be encouraged and supported by Josip Hatze, Cyril Metoděj Hrazdira and Antun Dobronić who instilled him with a nationalistic orientation in music. He started as a law student in Zagreb, but switched to writing music in 1920. In Vienna, he studied in the class of Johan Marx.
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The opera "Jenufa" was nearly nine years (1894-1903) in the making, inspired by Gabriela Preissová's play of the same name. At that time he sought "his own musical expression in composition", studied the melodies of speech, worked long hours on the opera, and finished it under extremely tragic circumstances, when his young daughter Olga was dying. The later fate of the opera was also dramatic. Because the Prague National Theatre refused to produce it, Janáček had to be satisfied with a Brno production (Jan. 2lst, 1904), produced on a shoestring by the conductor C. M. Hrazdira. The head of the opera section of the Prague National Theatre refused the work for twelve years; when, finally, and thanks to the considerable efforts of Janáček's friends, he decided to produce the opera, he did so splendidly, and thus at least partly compensated Janáček for his undeserved disappointment during the most painful years of his life. For up to the time of the Prague premier of Jenufa (1916), Janáček was able to rely on the artistic support only of Ferdinand Vach and his Moravian Teachers' Song Group, which masterfully rendered Janáček's choral works in concerts both at home and abroad, and of a few of his most faithful friends, who helped to propagate his works. At sixty-two, Janáček, encouraged by his Prague success, for the first time really began to compose.
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By MARK AUDUS
http://digilib.phil.muni.cz/bitstream/handle/11222.digilib/111900/H_Musicologica_42-2007-1_4.pdf
http://etheses.nottingham.ac.uk/511/1/1.pdf
APPENDIX II - Letter from Cyril Metoděj Hrazdira to Janáček, 11 July 1906
[pg. 148] - (BmJA, B 83): transcription and translation
Velectěný pane řiditeli!
Jelikož jsem od řed. Frýdy nedostal žádných zpráv, domníval jsem se správně, že Vám asi dopsal již pozdě. Ostatně bude dosti času, když partitury dostane v srpnu. Prozatím mi stačí kl. výtah. Oddal jsem se znova studiu „Pastorkyně“ a doufám, že se mi podaří dílo ještě lépe provésti než minule. Zajistil jsem si již pro Brno třetího flautisto. Myslím take, že by bylo s prospěchem pro dramatický spád některá místa poněkud zkrátiti. Týká se to hlavně obou ensemblů: „A vy muzikanti jděte dom …“ a „Každý párek si musí svoje trápení přestát ..“ Dá se to provésti velmi snadně, mám už to vypracováno, nebudeli Vám je k nahlédnutí. Také některé orch. mezihry jsou trochu dlouhé a zdržují rychlejší postup, např. I. jedn. výst. 7. „Srdce mi úzkostí v těle se třese, že by mamička aj lidé mohli poznat moji vinu“. Za prvou větou za slovem „třese“ jest čtyřtaktová mezihra, stačily by dva takty k vůli modulaci, aby věta, tvořící celek, nebyla příliš roztrhnutá — a pod. — Za slovy Jenůfky: „Abychom se mohli sebrat“ jest 13 taktů mezihry do 4/8 taktu na slovu „Bez toho bude od mamičky“ — upravil jsem na 10 taktů. To jsou ovšem návrhy mé a žádám o Váš názor v té věci — V sobotu po Vašem odjezdu byl zde p. Zeman z Velké, sešel jsem se s ním ve „Slavii“. Ze Slezska mám už zprávy určité. Rozhodl jsem se pro Frýdecko, kamž pojedu společně s učitelem Mojžíškem; možna take že zabrousíme až do Pruska. Buďte tedy tak laskav a pošlete mi tu částku z toho velkého disposičního fondu. — Po obdržení vydám se hned na cestu. — Adresa na opisovače not jest:
H. Svozil, člen orchestra Nár. divadla [pg. 149] t.c. v Těšeticích u Olomouce. —
V dokonalé úctě oddaný
C.M. Hrazdira
Brno, 11/VII. 1906
=== English translation ===
Esteemed director!
Since I have not had any news from dir[ector] Frýda, I correctly assumed that he was probably late in writing to you. But there will be plenty of time if I get the [full] score in August. Meanwhile I can make do with the vocal score. I have devoted myself to studying Jenůfa again and hope that I will succeed in perform the work even better than before. I have already secured a third flautist for Brno. I also think that it would be in the interests of the dramatic pacing for some places to be slightly cut. This concerns mainly the two ensembles: ‘A vy muzikanti jděte dom …’ and ‘Každý párek si musí svoje trápení přestát …’ It can be carried out very easily, I have already worked it out; if it does not go against your ideas, I would write out these passages and send them to you to look at. Also some orchestral interludes are a little too long and hold up the speed of the action, for instance Act 1 Scene 7, ‘Srdce mi úzkostí v těle se třese, že by mamička aj lidé mohli poznat moji vinu’. After the first sentence
[phrase?] after the word ‘třese’ there is a four-bar interlude; two bars would be enough for the modulation so that the overall phrase is not too broken up. — etc. — After Jenůfa’s words: ‘Abychom se mohli sebrat’ there is a 13-bar interlude up to the 4/8 passage at the words ‘Bez toho bude od mamičky’ — I have adjusted this to 10 bars. These are of course only my suggestions, and I ask for your views on this matter. [pg. 150] On Saturday following your departure Mr Zeman from Velká was here, and I met with him at the ‘Slavia’ [café]. I already have definite news from Silesia. I have decided to go to the Frýdek district in the company of the teacher Mojžíšek; perhaps we will wander as far as Prussia. So be so kind as to send me that portion from the big discretionary fund. — After receiving it I will immediately set out on our journey. — The address of the music copyist is:
H.[ynek] Svozil, member of the National Theatre orchestra at present at Těšetice
near Olomouc. —
In perfect respect, your devoted
C.M. Hrazdira
Brno, 11. July 1906
LEOŠ JANÁČEK Born 3 July 1854 in Hukvaldy, Moravia; died 12 August 1928 in Ostrava, Moravia. Arranged by Manfred Honeck and Tomáš Ille (b. 1971)
Symphonic Suite from Jenůfa (1894-1903; arranged in 2013)
PREMIERE OF OPERA:
Brno, 21 January 1904; Brno Theater; C.M. Hrazdira, conductor
From: http://www.universaledition.com/Leos-Janacek/composers-and-works/composer/2012/work/2984
World Première - Date: 21 Jan. 1904
Location: National Theatre Brno / Czech Republic
Orchestra: Orchestra of the National Theatre of Brno
Conductor: Cyril Metodej Hrazdira
Scenery: Josef Malý
ZVUCI BAŠTINE (for reviving songs from the Croatian musical heritage) JM Split
Ćiril M. HRAZDIRA: Ave Beati Domni
Performance: Djevojački zbor KUD Jedinstvo – Split / Conductor: Danica Zaić
Bernardin SOKOL: Ave Maria
Performance: Ansambl Brevis – Osijek / Conductor: Antoaneta Radočaj
Jakov GOTOVAC: Zdravo, majko, s Kamenitih vrati
Performance: Mješoviti zbor Floridus – Split / Conductor: Ivana Rudić – Mitrović
Glazbena mladež Split / Jeunesses Musicales Split - Croatia
Tel: +385 21 482 400 / Fax: + 385 21 332 714
Zagrebačka 23 - 21000 SPLIT info@gmsplit.hr
Po vremenu koje su proveli u radu s Društvom i rezultatima koje su postizali, svojim se dirigentskim i pedagoškim zaslugama ističu upravo Josip Hatze i Ćiril Metod-Hrazdira. Pedeseta godišnjica proslavljena je pod vodstvom mo. Borisa Papandopula. Usp. Smiljana Radoičić-Kraljević: Prilog proučavanju
muzičkog odgoja i obrazovanja u Splitu, Kulturna baština,
http://www.os-slatine.skole.hr/english/index_eng.html - danica.zaic@yours.com
I. Tomić Ferić: Glazbeno školstvo u Splitu... BAŠTINA 35 283-302, Split 2009.300
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Subject: Composer Hrazdira
From: Danica Zaic
To: Franz Hrazdira
Date: 01/23/14 06:06 PM
Dear Mr. Hrazdira,
I’ve found few pages referring to C.M. Hrazdira in the book Glazbena kultura u splitskoj katedrali (Music Culture in the Split’s Cathedral) by late Mr. Miljenko Grgic. The pages of the book are attached.
I will translate several important sentences although I cannot find translation for all words.
Czech’s composer and conductor (Hrazdira) studied at organist school in Brno (his professor was L.Janacek), and later at Prague conservatory. He was kapelmaster in Sevastopol and later as conductor at operas in Ostrava and Brno.
It is not stated when he came to Split. Upon arrival in the beginning he was kapelmaster of the Narodna glazba (People’s Music), and on 1st October 1909 he acted as kapelmaster of the cathedral. His authorities were somehow curbed in relation to his predecessors’ authorities. Hrazdira had to prepare and conduct singing during masses on Christmas, ... (unknown church holiday), Eastern, Assumption of the Virgin Mary, All Saints, St. Duje (city patron) and emperor’s birth day and name day as well as during week preceding Eastern for the annual fee of 500 krunas. ... Hrazdira obliged to take care of the church choir, while the church paid singers Šiler and Foretić.
(several sentences refer to poor financial condition of the church authorities, lack of money to pay kapelmaster)
In relatively short time Hrazdira managed to prepare and perform Mattioli’s Mass for All Saint’s day. Local newspaper critic favourably reported about the performance and praised organist and conductor (Hrazdira). In December Hrazdira performed Knott’s Pastorela and repeated it in January 1910.
Although he was not obliged to compose for the cathedral needs it seems that he set to music Terra tremuit for Eastern holidays and city patron’s holiday. For the same holidays he composed in March and April 1910 two motets Surrexit Dominius ad 2 voces equales / organo comitante and Ave Beati Domni for tenor solo and male choir. The author of the book praises his last work which is extraordinary inventive. He received some payments several times during the year, last time on 9th September 1910. At the end of September he left for ever kapelmaster job anf for short time left Split. Upon arrival he devoted to Zvonimir (local choir) and later Split philharmonic orchestra. He was productive composer. There are more than 20 compositions printed and in manuscript in Split’s Historical Archive.
I have recording of premiere of short motet Ave Beate Domni which I performed with young girl’s choir although it is written for tenor solo and male choir. I’ll send it soon to you.
I hope this may help you. Best regards,
Danica Zaic
== Please note! == To hear the motet, click on Ave Beate Domni
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About Franto Hruz 
Online Income Systems Development
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