Josef Vorel (also Worel) (13 November 1801 – 19 December 1874) 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 *Czech (surnam ...

priest and composer. He is known mainly as a composer of songs and choirs in the folk style. Vorel was born in

Opočno Opočno (; ) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. Opočno is known for the Opočno Castle, one of the most magnificent examples of Czech Renaissance archi ...

, the son of a teacher. He began his musical training at an early age. He learned the piano,

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

and

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

at age five. Černušák (1965), p. 906 From 1813 he studied at gymnasium in

Rychnov nad Kněžnou Rychnov nad Kněžnou (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban m ...

, where he founded and led a student

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

orchestra. During his theological studies in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

he met and befriended the writer and translator Karel Alois Vinařický, an important exponent of the Czech cultural scene during the period of the

Czech National Revival The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement which took place in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this movement was to revive the Czech Czech language, language, culture and national identity. The most pro ...

. He occasionally attempted to compose

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

s to Vinařický's words. Following his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 1825, he briefly served as a chaplain in

Cerhovice Cerhovice is a market town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants. Administrative division Cerhovice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 cen ...

and Žebrák. In 1835 he moved to

Zdice Zdice is a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,100 inhabitants. Administrative division Zdice consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Zdice ...

, where he served as a priest for the rest of his life. During his active career he maintained contacts with several Czech artists and poets such as

Josef Jungmann Josef Jungmann (16 July 1773 – 14 November 1847) was a Czech linguist and poet, and a leading figure of the Czech National Revival. Together with Josef Dobrovský, he is considered to be a creator of the modern Czech language. The literary aw ...

, Šebestián Hněvkovský and brothers

Jan Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

and

Vojtěch Nejedlý Vojtěch Nejedlý (17 April 1772, in Žebrák – 7 December 1844, in Žebrák) 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 ...

. He died in

. Vorel's musical output is influenced by the patriotic atmosphere of the Czech National Revival. Some of his songs became popular due to nationalistic view and openly declared affection to the native country.

Selected compositions

Songs *''Návrat rytíře'' (published in ''Věnec'', 1836) *''Píseň letní'' (ibidem) *''Píseň zimní'' (ibidem) *''Na basu'' (''Věnec zpěvů vlasteneckých'', 1837) *''Růže tetínská'' or ''Nad Berounkou pod Tetínem'' (libretto by

Josef Krasoslav Chmelenský Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura and is the only company in Japan spec ...

, 1826, second version 1836) *''Společná'' or ''Že peníze světem vládnou'' (1838) *''Šestero písní'' (1834) *''Tři básně'' (1842) *''Cikánova píšťalka'' (published in ''Zlatý zpěvník I''.) Choirs *''Dva čtverozpěvy'' (1843) *''Tři básně'' (1858) *''Čtyři čtverozpěvy'' (1861) *''Čechie'' (published in ''Hlahol'', 1864) Singspiel *''Sládci'' (libretto by

Karel Jaromír Erben Karel Jaromír Erben (; 7 November 1811 – 21 November 1870) was a Czech folklorist and poet of the mid-19th century, best known for his collection '' Kytice'', which contains poems based on traditional and folkloric themes. He also wrote ''Pí ...

, 1836/37) Incidental music *''Hastroš'' *''Loketský zvon'' and ''Valdek'' (plays by

Václav Kliment Klicpera Václav Kliment Klicpera (23 November 1792 – 15 September 1859) was a Czechs, Czech playwright and poet. He was a prolific author of his own plays and was one of the first presenters of Czech-language drama. He was especially influential in the ...

) *''Husité u Naumburku'' Sacred music *''Deset gradualií'' *''Pastorella'' *''Animas fidelium'' *''Te Deum'' *''Regina coeli''

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vorel, Josef 1801 births 1874 deaths Czech composers Czech male composers People from Opočno 19th-century composers 19th-century Czech male musicians