Jakub Jan Ryba
Encyclopedia
Jakub Šimon Jan Ryba was a Czech
teacher and composer
of classical music. His most famous work is Czech Christmas Mass "Hey, Master!"
(Česká mše vánoční "Hej mistře!").
Ryba was born in Přeštice
near Plzeň. His father was a schoolteacher, which was a very poorly paid occupation at the time. In 1780 Ryba went to Prague
, where he studied at the Piarist gymnasium
. His teacher Cassianus Hanel taught him music. Ryba was a very good student and he soon started to compose. He dreamt of being a famous composer. In 1784 his father ordered him to work as a teacher in Nepomuk
. Ryba reluctantly obeyed, but he was soon fired. After wandering for a few months, he received a message that his mother had died. After a long illness, he moved to Mníšek pod Brdy
. Being popular among local inhabitants for performing music, he was quite happy there, but after some hesitation he accepted a schoolteacher position in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem
.
The school prospered under his superintendence, but he had constant conflicts with the local pastor and council. His frequent requests for funds for repairs of the school building were usually rejected. In 1796, he wrote his most famous work, Czech Christmas Mass "Hey, Master!" (named by him as Missa solemnis Festis Nativitatis D. J. Ch. accommodata in linguam bohemicum musicam), also as a consequence of a reconciliation with the local pastor. This work continues to be frequently performed at Christmas time in Bohemia.
An insufferable lack of money and the hostility of his superiors led him to commit suicide at Voltuš near Rožmitál pod Třemšínem
. On April 8, 1815 Ryba attended morning mass. Later, he was found in a dense forest with his throat cut with a razor. He had Essay on Peace of Soul by Seneca the Younger
, his favourite author, with him. He was buried at a plague cemetery near Rožmitál pod Tremšínem.
His works mainly include many pastorellas
and masses
, but few compositions beyond the Czech Christmas Mass are performed regularly today. This composition is popular in many countries.
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
teacher and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of classical music. His most famous work is Czech Christmas Mass "Hey, Master!"
Czech Christmas Mass
Czech Christmas Mass is a classic pastoral mass written by the Czech composer Jakub Jan Ryba in 1796...
(Česká mše vánoční "Hej mistře!").
Ryba was born in Přeštice
Preštice
Přeštice is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Úhlava River, some to the south from the region capital of Pilsen....
near Plzeň. His father was a schoolteacher, which was a very poorly paid occupation at the time. In 1780 Ryba went to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, where he studied at the Piarist gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. His teacher Cassianus Hanel taught him music. Ryba was a very good student and he soon started to compose. He dreamt of being a famous composer. In 1784 his father ordered him to work as a teacher in Nepomuk
Nepomuk
Nepomuk is a town in the Pilsen Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Mihovka River, some to the south-southwest from the region capital of Pilsen....
. Ryba reluctantly obeyed, but he was soon fired. After wandering for a few months, he received a message that his mother had died. After a long illness, he moved to Mníšek pod Brdy
Mníšek pod Brdy
Mníšek pod Brdy is a town south west of Prague in the Czech Republic, in Central Bohemian Region. It hosts an annual cross-country Ultramarathon of 50 km length, which is part of the European Ultramarathon Cup. The town is part of the Prague metropolitan area.-External links:*...
. Being popular among local inhabitants for performing music, he was quite happy there, but after some hesitation he accepted a schoolteacher position in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem
Rožmitál pod Tremšínem
Rožmitál pod Třemšínem is a town in the Czech Republic.-External links:*...
.
The school prospered under his superintendence, but he had constant conflicts with the local pastor and council. His frequent requests for funds for repairs of the school building were usually rejected. In 1796, he wrote his most famous work, Czech Christmas Mass "Hey, Master!" (named by him as Missa solemnis Festis Nativitatis D. J. Ch. accommodata in linguam bohemicum musicam), also as a consequence of a reconciliation with the local pastor. This work continues to be frequently performed at Christmas time in Bohemia.
An insufferable lack of money and the hostility of his superiors led him to commit suicide at Voltuš near Rožmitál pod Třemšínem
Rožmitál pod Tremšínem
Rožmitál pod Třemšínem is a town in the Czech Republic.-External links:*...
. On April 8, 1815 Ryba attended morning mass. Later, he was found in a dense forest with his throat cut with a razor. He had Essay on Peace of Soul by Seneca the Younger
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
, his favourite author, with him. He was buried at a plague cemetery near Rožmitál pod Tremšínem.
His works mainly include many pastorellas
Pastorale
For Beethoven's Pastoral symphony, see Symphony No. 6 Pastorale refers to something of a pastoral nature in music, whether in form or in mood....
and masses
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
, but few compositions beyond the Czech Christmas Mass are performed regularly today. This composition is popular in many countries.
Literature
- Jiří Berkovec: Jakub Jan Ryba, Prague, 1995, ISBN 80-85787-97-0
- Václav Spěváček: Jakub Jan Ryba, vychovatel našeho lidu
[ Jan Jakub Ryba, Educator of Our Nation] , Prague, 1984 - Jan Němeček: Jakub Jan Ryba: život a dílo
[ Jan Jakub Ryba, Life and Works] , Prague, 1963 - Jan Němeček: Školní deníky Jakuba Jana Ryby
[ School Diaries by Jakub Jan Ryba] , Prague, 1957 - Irena Janáčková: Jakub Jan Ryba o svém hudebním životě
[ Jakub Jan Ryba About His Life With Music] , Prague, 1946. Translation of autobiographyAutobiographyAn autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
Mein musikalischer Lebenslauf (in German) from 1801.
External links
(all texts are in Czech language)- Short online biographies: zivotopisyonline.cz, riebel.cz, pis.cz
- Detailed biography
- Text of the Czech Christmas Mass
- Overview of the diary written by Ryba
- Parts of the Czech Christmas Mass: MP3 format, MOV format