Bohuslav Martinů (8 December 1890, Polička – 28 August 1959, Liestahl) was … Read Full Bio ↴Bohuslav Martinů (8 December 1890, Polička – 28 August 1959, Liestahl) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He was very prolific, writing almost 400 pieces, among them 6 symphonies, choral works, operas, concertos, including for cello, violin, oboe and five for the piano and his chamber music, including seven string quartets. His artistic history content more creative periods, incl. postimpresionism, neo-classicism, expressionism etc.
Biography:
Bohuslav Martinů was born in a bell-tower where his father, a shoemaker by trade, was a watchman. Even as a child, he developed a reputation locally, and he gave his first public concert in his hometown in 1905. In 1906 Martinů became a violin student at the Prague Conservatory. He studied briefly there (before being dismissed for “incorrigible negligence”) and later continued to study on his own.
He spent the First World War in his hometown as a teacher, where he pursued his interests in composition. He also joined the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist. His ballet Istar was completed in 1922. He left Czechoslovakia for Paris in 1923, where he became a pupil of Albert Roussel, though he retained many links with his birthplace.
When the German army approached Paris early in the Second World War, he fled, first to the south of France, and then to the United States in 1941, where he settled in New York with his French wife. In later life he lived in Switzerland, never returning to his homeland.
Martinů’s music displays a wide variety of influences: works such as La Revue de Cuisine (1927) are heavily influenced by jazz, while the Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani (1938) is one of many works to show the influence of the Baroque concerto grosso. Other works are influenced by Czech folk music. He also admired the music of Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, among other composers.
A characteristic feature of his style of orchestral writing is the near omni-present piano; most of his orchestral works include a prominent part for piano, including his small concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra.
The bulk of his writing from the 1930s into the 1950s was in a Neoclassical vein, but with his last works he opened up his style to include more rhapsodic gestures and a looser, more spontaneous sense of form. This is easiest to see by comparing his sixth symphony, tellingly titled Fantaisies symphoniques, and his previous efforts, all from the 1940s.
One of Martinů’s lesser known works is a piece featuring the theremin commissioned by Lucie Bigelow Rosen. Martinů started working on this commission in the summer of 1944 and finished his Fantasia for theremin, oboe, string quartet and piano on October 1, dedicating it to Mrs Rosen, who premiered the piece as theremin soloist in New York on 3 November 1945, along with the Koutzen Quartet and Robert Boom.
Biography:
Bohuslav Martinů was born in a bell-tower where his father, a shoemaker by trade, was a watchman. Even as a child, he developed a reputation locally, and he gave his first public concert in his hometown in 1905. In 1906 Martinů became a violin student at the Prague Conservatory. He studied briefly there (before being dismissed for “incorrigible negligence”) and later continued to study on his own.
He spent the First World War in his hometown as a teacher, where he pursued his interests in composition. He also joined the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist. His ballet Istar was completed in 1922. He left Czechoslovakia for Paris in 1923, where he became a pupil of Albert Roussel, though he retained many links with his birthplace.
When the German army approached Paris early in the Second World War, he fled, first to the south of France, and then to the United States in 1941, where he settled in New York with his French wife. In later life he lived in Switzerland, never returning to his homeland.
Martinů’s music displays a wide variety of influences: works such as La Revue de Cuisine (1927) are heavily influenced by jazz, while the Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani (1938) is one of many works to show the influence of the Baroque concerto grosso. Other works are influenced by Czech folk music. He also admired the music of Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, among other composers.
A characteristic feature of his style of orchestral writing is the near omni-present piano; most of his orchestral works include a prominent part for piano, including his small concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra.
The bulk of his writing from the 1930s into the 1950s was in a Neoclassical vein, but with his last works he opened up his style to include more rhapsodic gestures and a looser, more spontaneous sense of form. This is easiest to see by comparing his sixth symphony, tellingly titled Fantaisies symphoniques, and his previous efforts, all from the 1940s.
One of Martinů’s lesser known works is a piece featuring the theremin commissioned by Lucie Bigelow Rosen. Martinů started working on this commission in the summer of 1944 and finished his Fantasia for theremin, oboe, string quartet and piano on October 1, dedicating it to Mrs Rosen, who premiered the piece as theremin soloist in New York on 3 November 1945, along with the Koutzen Quartet and Robert Boom.
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Piano Sonata H.350
Bohuslav Martinů Lyrics
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The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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sbareg
That's very impressive, a masterful and thoughtful interpretation of this beautiful but difficult work. Thank you very much!
skipthepool
Bravo ! Excellent performance... dynamic and moving in turn . Your phrasing seems so well chosen,
Elie Maalouf
Wonderful to discover this sonata and this impressive interpretation ...
Music Covers of Video Games
Beautiful performance bravo ❣️
Wouter van der Wilt
Didn’t know this, but it’s great music, and very well played!
marmer
Absolutně fantastická interpretace!!! Bravo!!! Kdysi jsem tuto sonátu hrála na Janáčkově soutěži a tehdy dostupné nahrávky velkých mistrů mne nepříliš oslovily, vždy jsem si říkala, že je potřeba daleko více vidět a slyšet, co se skrývá za pouhým notovým textem... Vy jste mou představu o této skladbě dokonale naplnila, gratuluju ke skvělému počinu!!
Montserrat Trejo
Que bonito!!!! Me encanto!!!
Richard Lingham
Just discovered this wonderful performance of my favourite ever piano sonata. Having listened to Firkusny's recording of this work for years I didn't think I would ever hear another to rival his interpretation - let alone surpass it. I am completely in love with this beautiful woman and her stunning rendition. She lives the music and carries me along with her. How will I ever recover?
Barbora Sejáková
Thank you so much.
DOĞUNUN SESİ
bravooo👏👏