Music for Prague 1968
Encyclopedia
Music for Prague 1968 is a programmatic work written by Czech-born composer Karel Husa
for symphonic band and later transcribed for full orchestra
, written shortly after the crushing of the Prague Spring
reform movement in Czechoslovakia
in 1968. Karel Husa was sitting on the dock at his cottage in America at the time, listening to the BBC broadcast of the events on the radio. He was deeply moved, and wrote Music for Prague 1968 to memorialize the events. This piece is a standard among wind ensemble repertoire.
The work was commissioned by Ithaca College
and was premiered in January 1969 in Washington, DC at the Music Educators National Conference by Dr. Kenneth Snapp and the Ithaca College Concert Band.
:
As a piece of program music, the work is bound together by symbol
ism and allusions. A theme from the 15th Century Hussite
song "Ye Warriors of God and his Law" is laced into the music, one symbolic of resistance and hope - the theme is common enough that any Czech would know the melody and its significance. [The same theme appears (with the same significance) in Smetana's "Ma Vlast" cycle, in both the Blanik and Tabor movements, as well as in Josef Suk's symphonic Poem Praha.] The sound of bells are heard throughout the music, as Prague
is also known as "City of a Hundred Spires". The trombones imitate air raid sirens, and the oboes play sections of Morse code
. The piccolo
solo represents the bird calls, the symbol of freedom, which the composer himself wrote, 'the city of Prague has seen only for moments during its thousand years of existence'. It is also interesting to note that the third movement, Interlude, is not only played solely by the percussion section, but that it is also a palindrome
, starting and ending with a snare roll.
Karel Husa
Karel Husa is a Czech-born classical composer and conductor, winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize and 1993 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Music Composition...
for symphonic band and later transcribed for full orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, written shortly after the crushing of the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
reform movement in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1968. Karel Husa was sitting on the dock at his cottage in America at the time, listening to the BBC broadcast of the events on the radio. He was deeply moved, and wrote Music for Prague 1968 to memorialize the events. This piece is a standard among wind ensemble repertoire.
The work was commissioned by Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
and was premiered in January 1969 in Washington, DC at the Music Educators National Conference by Dr. Kenneth Snapp and the Ithaca College Concert Band.
Orchestration
2 Piccolos, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, English Horn, 2 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, Eb Clarinet, 9 Clarinets, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, 2 Alto Saxophones, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bass Saxophone, 8 Trumpets, 4 Horns, 3 Trombones, 2 Baritones, 2 Tubas, Chimes, Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Timpani, 3 Antique Cymbals, 3 Triangles, 3 Suspended Cymbals, 3 Tam-Tams, 2-3 Snare Drums, 3 Tom-Toms, Bass DrumStructure
The piece is in four movementsMovement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Introduction and Fanfare
- Aria
- Interlude
- Toccata and Chorale
As a piece of program music, the work is bound together by symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ism and allusions. A theme from the 15th Century Hussite
Hussite
The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...
song "Ye Warriors of God and his Law" is laced into the music, one symbolic of resistance and hope - the theme is common enough that any Czech would know the melody and its significance. [The same theme appears (with the same significance) in Smetana's "Ma Vlast" cycle, in both the Blanik and Tabor movements, as well as in Josef Suk's symphonic Poem Praha.] The sound of bells are heard throughout the music, as 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...
is also known as "City of a Hundred Spires". The trombones imitate air raid sirens, and the oboes play sections of Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
. The piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
solo represents the bird calls, the symbol of freedom, which the composer himself wrote, 'the city of Prague has seen only for moments during its thousand years of existence'. It is also interesting to note that the third movement, Interlude, is not only played solely by the percussion section, but that it is also a palindrome
Palindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
, starting and ending with a snare roll.