Martinů and His Pupils – 2009 Study Weekend Programme
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Dvořák Society member, Graham Melville-Mason, was the tutor at a study weekend held at Burton Manor in Cheshire, North West England from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September 2009. The title of the course was Martinů and his Pupils.
© Nadace Bohuslava Martinů
The year 2009 saw the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Bohuslav Martinů, the youngest of the internationally known quartet of great Czech composers that included Smetana, Dvořák, and Janáček. Studying in Paris from 1923 and then exiled abroad due to Nazi and then Communist persecution, Martinů never lost his yearning for home, which remained reflected in his music. His works have been well received by British audiences, if not always by the critics.
Through a series of illustrated lectures and discussion, this study weekend was designed to give students an overview of the life and work of Bohuslav Martinů. The period studied encompassed Martinů’s time in Polička, Prague, Paris, New York, Nice and Switzerland. The course also consider the music of his two most important Czech pupils, Vítězslava Kaprálová and Jan Novák.
No previous knowledge was required, just an interest in the music. The course programme was as follows —
Friday 4 September 2009
5.30pm – 6.30pm | Arrival and Registration
6.45pm | Dinner
8.00pm - 9.30pm | A view from the tower – Polička years and PragueSaturday 5 September 2009
8.30am | Breakfast (Residential Students only)
9.30am | Paris and the Czech on the Left Bank
11.00am Coffee
11.15am - 12.45pm | Vítězslava Kaprálová – More than a pupil
1.00pm | Lunch
2.00pm | Escape to America
3.45pm | Tea
4.15pm - 6.00pm | American Years and Growing Reputation
6.45pm | Dinner
8.00pm - 9.30pm | Jan Novák and the American Summer SchoolSunday 6 September 2009
8.30am | Breakfast (Residential Students only)
9.30am | So near and yet so far – return to Europe
11.00am | Coffee
11.15am - 12.45pm | Martinů Today – Has he really arrived?
1.00pm | Lunch after which course disperses
