Choral Music and the Czech National Identity
Abstract
The Czech Republic (now Czechia) has a rich and lengthy musical heritage, mostly centered in the capital, Prague. During the summer of 2016, the Pepperdine Chamber Choir embarked on an international tour that included this fascinating city. While there, the Chamber Choir took part in the Prague Choral Festival alongside both American and Czech choirs. The level of musicality and enthusiasm of the Czech choirs were infectious, an excellent indicator of a healthy musical and choral landscape in a country with a complicated and sometimes troubled past. The aim of this study was to find and analyze music that is deeply connected to the Czech psyche and to research the nation’s past to contextualize recent musical developments. Luckily, at the Prague Choral Festival, the Chamber Choir was introduced to and performed two works of music that are exemplary of this nationalistic Czech style. The works are Prague Te Deum 1989 by Petr Eben and Aká si mi krásna by Eugen Suchon. Prague Te Deum is especially pertinent to my research since it was Prague’s liberation from the Soviet Union in the Velvet Revolution that inspired this masterpiece. In my presentation, I plan to share recorded performances of both works of music, provide their historical context, and report findings from an interview with Jirka Kratochvil, founder of the Prague Choral Festival. I have found that the Czechs are an incredibly musical people and it is my hope that those in attendance will leave with a greater appreciation of Czechia’s choral culture.
Choral Music and the Czech National Identity
Plaza Classroom 190
The Czech Republic (now Czechia) has a rich and lengthy musical heritage, mostly centered in the capital, Prague. During the summer of 2016, the Pepperdine Chamber Choir embarked on an international tour that included this fascinating city. While there, the Chamber Choir took part in the Prague Choral Festival alongside both American and Czech choirs. The level of musicality and enthusiasm of the Czech choirs were infectious, an excellent indicator of a healthy musical and choral landscape in a country with a complicated and sometimes troubled past. The aim of this study was to find and analyze music that is deeply connected to the Czech psyche and to research the nation’s past to contextualize recent musical developments. Luckily, at the Prague Choral Festival, the Chamber Choir was introduced to and performed two works of music that are exemplary of this nationalistic Czech style. The works are Prague Te Deum 1989 by Petr Eben and Aká si mi krásna by Eugen Suchon. Prague Te Deum is especially pertinent to my research since it was Prague’s liberation from the Soviet Union in the Velvet Revolution that inspired this masterpiece. In my presentation, I plan to share recorded performances of both works of music, provide their historical context, and report findings from an interview with Jirka Kratochvil, founder of the Prague Choral Festival. I have found that the Czechs are an incredibly musical people and it is my hope that those in attendance will leave with a greater appreciation of Czechia’s choral culture.