The Brno Conservatory, also Brno Conservatoire (), was established in

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

on 25 September 1919 by

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

n composer

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, Music theory, music theorist, Folkloristics, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian folk music, Moravian and other Slavs, Slavic music, includin ...

History

Leoš Janáček attempted to establish and improve high musical education in Brno from his early age. In 1881, he founded the ''Organ School'', however, it was just the beginning of his efforts in this field. The conservatory was established by joining the Organ School, music school of ''Beseda brněnská'', and music school of ''Vesna'' (women's educational association based in Brno). Initially, it was situated in a "greek villa", on the corner of the streets of Smetanova and Kounicova. It was the former seat of the Organ School (from 1907). Janáček was the first director of the conservatory, but the school gained its current seat only during the directorship of his successor, Jan Kunc. The building of the conservatory was designed in 1899 in the style of

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

by German Wanderley. It was the seat of the German Teachers Institute, founded by the Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

. The commemorate plaque at the building reads: ''„Kaiser Franz Josef I. widmete dieses Haus der Bildung von Volksschullehrern 1872."'' ("The Emperor Franz Josef I dedicated this house to build the public teaching 1872"). During the period of

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, the school became an important centre of Czech and Moravian cultural tradition. Jan Kunc remained the director until 1945. Other important directors include pianist and musicologist

Ludvík Kundera Ludvík Kundera (22 March 1920 – 17 August 2010) was a Czech writer, translator, poet, playwright, editor and literary historian. He was a notable exponent of Czech avant-garde literature and a prolific translator of German authors. In 2007, h ...

and music theorist and composer Zdeněk Blažek. From 1919 to 1928, Brno Conservatory had two masterclasses intended for composers and pianists. The official status of the school was lower than university level, however, the quality of the courses was reasonably good. The dance department was a part of the conservatory from 1946. The department was separated and became independent in 1986. As of 2011, Brno Conservatory has classes for all instruments of the standard

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

. Additionally, the school provides teaching of

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

cimbalom The cimbalom, cimbal (; ) or concert cimbalom is a type of chordophone composed of a large, trapezoidal box on legs with metal strings stretched across its top and a damping pedal underneath. It was designed and created by József Schunda, V. ...

, recorder,

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

and

singing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

. Brno Conservatory regularly organizes concerts and theatre performances and collaborates with the

Brno Philharmonic Orchestra The Brno Philharmonic (Czech: ''Filharmonie Brno'') is a Czech orchestra based in Brno, the Czech Republic. Its principal concert venue in Brno is the ''Besední dům''. The orchestra also performs regularly in the Janáček Opera House in Brno. ...

Faculty (past and present)

* Josef Blatný, composition * Jan Kunc, composition *

, piano *

Vilém Kurz Vilém Kurz (23 December 1872 – 25 May 1945) was a Czechs, Czech pianist and piano teacher. Career Kurz was born in Havlíčkův Brod, Německý Brod, Bohemia in 23 December 1873. He became a professor at the State Conservatory in Lviv and Vi ...

, piano *

Jaroslav Kvapil Jaroslav Kvapil (25 September 1868 – 10 January 1950) was a Czech poet, theatre director, translator, playwright and librettist. Early life, education and family Jaroslav Josef Kvapil was born on 25 September 1868 in Chudenice, into the fami ...

, composition *

Vilém Petrželka file:Vilém Petrželka (1889-1967).jpg, Petrželka in 1931 Vilém Petrželka (10 September 1889, Brno, Moravia – 10 January 1967, Brno) was a prominent Czech composer and Conducting, conductor. Petrželka was a pupil of Leoš Janáček, Vítězs ...

, composition * Jan Škrdlík, cello

Alumni

* Igor Ardašev, pianist * Břetislav Bakala, conductor, pianist, composer * Aleš Bárta, organist * Josef Berg, composer *

Libuše Domanínská Libuše Domanínská (née Klobásková, married Vyčichlová; 4 July 1924 – 2 February 2021) was a Czech classical soprano who had a career in concert and opera from the 1940s through the 1970s. She was a leading member of the Brno National T ...

, soprano *

Rudolf Firkušný Rudolf Firkušný (; 11 February 191219 July 1994) was a Moravians, Moravian-born, Moravian-American classical pianist. Life Born in the Moravian town of Napajedla, Firkušný started his musical studies with the composers Leoš Janáček an ...

, pianist *

Michaela Fukačová Michaela Fukačová (born 27 March 1959) is a Czech cellist. She took up the cello aged 14, and won the Beethoven Cello Competition two years later. She is a past winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. She studied at the Brno Conse ...

, cellist *

Pavel Haas Pavel Haas (21 June 189917 October 1944) was a Czech composer who was murdered during the Holocaust. He was an exponent of Leoš Janáček's school of composition, and also utilized elements of folk music and jazz. Although his output was not l ...

, composer * Josef Horák, bass clarinetist * František Jílek, conductor * Vítězslava Kaprálová, composer, conductor * Ctirad Kohoutek, composer *

Vlastimil Lejsek Vlastimil Lejsek (21 July 1927 – 12 March 2010 in Brno) was a Czech composer and pianist. Biography Lejsek was born on 21 July 1927 in Brno. He was the son of the Moravian choirmaster František Květoslav Lejsek. He studied at the Brno Conserva ...

, composer, pianist *

Zdeněk Mácal Zdeněk Mácal (; 8 January 1936 – 25 October 2023) was a Czech conductor who worked internationally. The promising conductor who had won international competitions left his home country of Czechoslovakia in 1968 when the Warsaw Pact ended the ...

, conductor * Jan Novák, composer *

Ludvík Podéšť Ludvík Podéšť, pseudonym Ludvík Binovský (19 December 1921 in Dubňany – 27 February 1968 in Prague), was a Czech composer, conductor, music journalist and editor. Life and career Podéšť studied music composition at Brno Conservatory ...

, composer * Theodor Schaefer, composer *

Yngve Sköld Karl Yngve Sköld (; 29 April 1899 – 6 December 1992) was a Swedish composer, pianist and organist. As well as writing orchestral, solo and chamber music and giving public concerts, he also worked for the Swedish Film industry. Life He was born ...

, composer, pianist * František Šolc, hornist * Stanislav Vavřínek, flautist, conductor * Jiří Halíř, teacher, famous gastronome

References

External links

Brno Conservatory official website
{{authority control Education in Brno Organizations based in Brno Music schools in the Czech Republic Educational institutions established in 1919 Buildings and structures in Brno 1919 establishments in Czechoslovakia 20th-century architecture in the Czech Republic