Karel Kovařovic

Self Portrait by Jan Vilímek

Karel Kovařovic (Prague, 9 December 1862   Prague, 6 December 1920) was a Czech composer and conductor.

Life

From 1873 to 1879 he studied clarinet, harp and piano at the Prague Conservatory.[1] He began his career as a harpist. In 1900 Kovařovic became the conductor of the national theatre in Prague, due mostly to the success of his opera The Dogheads, after the novel of the same name (about Jan Sladký Kozina) by Alois Jirásek. His engagement at the National Theatre lasted twenty years, until 1920.[1] He composed seven operas.

Kovařovic is most remembered today for the revisions he made to Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa for its premiere in Prague, and it was in his version that the opera was heard for many years.

A recording of The Dogheads, featuring Beno Blachut, exists.

Compositions

Orchestra

Works for wind band

Theatre

Operas

Years composed title acts première libretto
1882–1883 Ženichové (The Bridgrooms) 3 acts 13 May 1884, Prague, Prague National Theatre Antonín Koukl after Simeon Karel Macháček
1885 Cesta oknem (The Way through the Window), op. 4 1 act 11 February 1886, Prague, Prague National Theatre Emanuel František Züngel,
after Eugène Scribe and Gustave Lemoine
1890–1891 Noc Šimona a Judy (The Night of Saint Simon and Jude) 3 acts 5 November 1892, Prague National Theatre Karel Šípek after Pedro Antonio de Alarcón
1891 Edip král (Oedipus rex) 3-act opera-parody 19 March 1894, Prague Žofín Hall August Vojtěch Nevšímal after Sophocles
1895–1897 Psohlavci (The Dogheads) 3 acts,
6 scènes
24 April 1898, Prague National Theatre Karel Šípek after Alois Jirásek
1898–1901 Na Starém bělidle (At the old bleachery) 4 scènes 22 November 1901, Prague National Theatre Karel Šípek afterBožena Němcová
1905 Slib (The Promise) Prologue only 9 December 1921, Prague, Prague National Theatre Karel Šípek after R Zamrzla

Ballet

Composed in title acts première libretto choreography
1884 Hašiš 1 act,
2 scenes
20 June 1884, Prague National Theatre (Národní divadlo) Václav Reisingra
1889 Pohádka o nalezeném štěstí (Fairy tale of found fortune) 3 acts,
7 scenes
8 April 1889, Prague National Theatre (Národní divadlo) Augustin Berger
1889 Královničky (Little Queens)
1889 Sedm havranů (Seven Ravens)
1909 Na Záletech (Love affairs) 10 scènes 1909, Prague A. Viscusi

Incidental music

Vocal music

Works for choir

Song

Chamber music

Works for piano

Notes

  1. 1 2 Dopisy o životě hudebním i lidském, p. 484
  2. Video on YouTube

References

External links

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