Books and Booklets about Czech and Slovak Musical Topics

  Page last updated 20 May 2008

     This page is about two kinds of publications: those published by the Dvořák Society (our Occasional Publications) and those from other publishers which may be difficult to obtain from other sources.

Dvořák Society Occasional Publications

Dvořák Society Occasional Publications provide in-depth information on selected topics. Sales are not restricted to members. Subject to availability, copies may be purchased from the Society’s Sales Manager:

David Banister
13 Adelaide Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 5PS
UK
telephone number: +44 (0)1473 711840
e-mail: sales@dvorak-society.org

The Dvořák Society has a PayPal® account. If you have an e-mail address we are therefore able to accept payments by credit card or fund transfer via PayPal® in addition to cheque payments.  MORE DETAILS 

All Dvořák Society Occasional Publications titles are A5 size.

1. Rudolf Firkušný

The Rudolf Firkušný booklet contains 28 pages, including a biographical sketch by Graham Melville-Mason and the first complete discography of recordings made by Rudolf Firkušný compiled by Richard Beith. It was published in 1999.

Soft covers only, ISBN 0 9532769 0 2
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £3.75 (members/trade) | £5 (non-members) |

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2. A Tribute to Petr Eben

Edited by Graham Melville-Mason, the Petr Eben tribute contains 239 pages and 8 plates and was published in 2000. Apart from many shorter tributes and a very full discography, there are major contributions by several other of the world’s leading musicologists and organists—

• Music as Message and the Ruling Principles of Petr Eben’s Music-making: by Johannes Landgren
• Petr Eben—A “Romanticist” with a Modern Language: by Martin Sander
• Petr Eben—The Symphonic Works: by Milan Slavický
• The Organ Concertos of Petr Eben: by John Browne
• Thoughts on Laudes: by Claude Hermitte
• Okna—Chagall’s Windows According to Petr Eben: by David Titterington
• Petr Eben’s Works for Organ with Other Instruments: by Susan Landale
• God’s Gesamtkunstwerk—Petr Eben’s Faust: by Janette Fishell
• Construction on Improvisation—Eben’s Job: by Andreas Jacob
• Voices from the Whirlwind—Perspectives on Petr Eben’s Job: by Michael Bauer
• Petr Eben’s Church Opera Jeremias: by Ruth Forsbach

Soft covers, ISBN 0 9532769 1 0
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £7.50 (members/trade) | £10 (non-members) |

Hard bound, ISBN to be advised
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £15.00 (members/trade) | £20 (non-members) |

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3. Václav Talich

Published in 2003 and edited by Graham Slater, this tribute to the great conductor Václav Talich has 170 pages, more than two dozen photographs and other illustrations. The first part of the book (72 pages) is devoted to his career and consists of—

• Antonín Dvořák and Václav Talich: by Víta Dejmalová
• Letter to Charles Mackerras: by Václav Talich
• Memories of my Teacher: by Jiří Stárek
• Václav Talich Remembered: by Miloslav Zdražil
• Reminiscences of Talich: by Zdeněk Bílek
• Recording with Talich: by Josef Shejbal
• Talich’s Recording of Suk’s Zrání: by Zdeněk Bílek
• Biographical Chronology: by Patrick Lambert
• Defence of Activity During the Nazi Occupation: by Václav Talich

and the second part is a discography.

Soft covers, ISBN 0 9532769 2 9
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £10.00 (members/trade) | £12.50 (non-members) |

Hard bound, ISBN 0 9532769 3 7
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £18.75 (members/trade) | £25 (non-members) |

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4. Antonín Dvořák—Complete Catalogue of Works

Compiled by Peter Herbert, this 144 page illustrated book lists all of Dvořák’s works in “Burghauser” order along with short informative notes on each piece. Dates of composition & first performance, Opus numbers, full names or titles of works in English and their original language etc are included. A comprehensive index and cross reference section (between “Burghauser” numbers and Opus numbers) allows easy location of each work. This is the fourth edition, published in 2004.

Soft covers, ISBN 0 9532769 4 5
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £10.00 (members/trade) | £12.50 (non-members) |

Hard bound, ISBN 0 9532769 5 3
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £18.75 (members/trade) | £25 (non-members) |

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5. Bohumil Fidler: “My Life and Memories”

Originally published in 1935 by Ant. Pelz, Příbram, as Můj život a vzpomínky, this first English language edition of Bohumil Fidler’s autobiography was translated by Eva Szabo and edited by Fidler’s great granddaughter Sonya Szabo Reynolds.

The composer, choirmaster, choral conductor and music teacher Bohumil Fidler (1860 – 1944), was born in Příbram, southern Bohemia, where he spent his working life. The town is close to Dvořák’s summer home at Vysoká and a friendship developed between the two men. Containing 144 pages including numerous photographs and other graphic material, the book includes valuable reminiscences of Dvořák’s domestic life at Vysoká and the relationship of the internationally renowned figure with the provincial musical life of his country. Fidler himself was a remarkably talented man who devoted his career to the musical life of Příbram, which is brought to life in the other parts of his autobiography.

Soft covers, ISBN 978-095327696-7
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £10.00 (members/trade) | £12.50 (non-members) |

Hard bound, ISBN 978-095327697-4
| price (plus postage and packing): |
| £18.75 (members/trade) | £25 (non-members) |

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Books from Other Publishers

In Gustav Mahler’s Footsteps in Bohemia and Moravia

The Dvořák Society is now able to supply its members with copies of this superbly presented book, published under the “Edice Vysočiny” imprint and edited by Ing. Milan Palák. It describes, fully and carefully, seventeen different towns and villages, from Chmelná to Prague and passing inevitably through Mahler’s birthplace at Kaliště and Jihlava where he grew up (and gave his first public performance—as a pianist—in 1870). The concentration is very much on time and place, with careful attention to the history and location of the family. Maps give the full location of each place and larger scale maps allow accurate pinpointing of precise buildings associated with the composer. Historical photographs provide further attractive context. This book will enable any visitor to the Czech Republic to follow Gustav Mahler and his family through Bohemia and Moravia.

The book is in Czech, German, English, French and Dutch. It is in a spiral binder, allowing full opening of the maps and avoiding the damage often encountered in books of this sort. Any music lover planning a tour of the Czech Republic would find this an invaluable companion.

ISBN 80-903362-0-5
Price: £12.50 plus postage and packing

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