Otakar Jeremiáš (17 October 1892 – 5 March 1962) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

composer, conductor and teacher. He was the son of composer Bohuslav Jeremiáš and the brother of composer Jaroslav Jeremiáš.

Life

Jeremiáš was born in

Písek Písek (; german: Pisek) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Písek is colloquially called "''South ...

. An accomplished cellist and pianist, he studied at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...

of Music. He lived in

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is t ...

, where he directed a local music school until February 1929, when he was appointed head conductor of the

Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Symfonický orchestr Českého rozhlasu'', Czech acronym SOČR, English acronym PRSO) is a Czech broadcast orchestra based in Prague, the Czech Republic. The SOČR performs concerts at the Dvořák Hall of th ...

. When he succeeded Charvat as conductor of the Radiojournal Orchestra in 1929, there were only 27 players, but he managed to increase its size to 45 by 1931 and by 1936 there were 70, achieved by much negotiation, good salaries for the players, as well as his own charisma.Lambert, P. In the shadow of Talich. '' International Classical Record Collector'', Summer 1996, Vol 2, 5, p12-13. In 1945 Jeremiáš left the Radio Symphony Orchestra to become president of the

Prague National Theatre The National Theatre ( cs, Národní divadlo) in Prague is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a ri ...

Opera. From 1949 he was chairman of the ''Federation of Czechoslovak Composers'' (''Svaz československých skadatelů''). He died in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

. Jeremiáš's view of conducting was set out in an article in 1943 where he wrote "My ideal is a creative orchestra, whose members, in accord with the efforts of the conductor, creatively collaborate during their performance". His wife was the soprano Marie Budíková who sang Mařenka in an abridged recording of Smetana's ''

The Bartered Bride ''The Bartered Bride'' ( cz, Prodaná nevěsta, links=no, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the ...

'' conducted by her husband on the Esta label.

Composer

He was influenced by the works of

Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( , ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival." He has been regarded i ...

Zdeněk Fibich Zdeněk Fibich (, 21 December 1850 in Všebořice – 15 October 1900 in Prague) was a Czech composer of classical music. Among his compositions are chamber works (including two string quartets, a piano trio, piano quartet and a quintet for pia ...

and

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European f ...

. ''Selected works:'' *''Love'' (1921) *''Zborov'' (1927) *''The Brothers Karamazov'' (1927) *''Enšpígl'' - opera (finished 1949) *''The Spring Overture''

Discography

Among the works recorded by Jeremiáš are a medley from ''The Bartered Bride'' (Odeon, 1929), Suk's ''Towards a New Life'' (Ultraphon, 1932), Dvořák's 16 Slavonic Dances (Ultraphon, 1940), all with the Radio Orchestra, and the ''

New World Symphony New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

'' during the war (Esta). Excerpts from '' Libuše'' with Marie Podvalová in the title role were recorded for Ultraphon in the early 1940s with forces of the Prague National Theatre.

References

*Jiří Vysloužil: ''Hudební slovník pro každého II.'' Vizovice: Lípa, 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeremias, Otakar 1892 births 1962 deaths 20th-century composers 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Czech male musicians Czech composers Czech male composers Czech conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Prague Conservatory alumni