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' Places *Czech, ...

priest and composer. He is known mainly as a composer of songs and choirs in the folk style. Vorel was born in Opočno, the son of a teacher. He began his musical training at an early age. He learned the piano,

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and

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

Rychnov nad Kněžnou Rychnov nad Kněžnou (; german: Reichenau an der Knieschna) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Adm ...

, where he founded and led a student

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orchestra. During his theological studies in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

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 language, culture and national identity. The most prominent figures o ...

. He occasionally attempted to compose cantatas to Vinařický's words. Following his

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in 1825, he briefly served as a chaplain in Cerhovice 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 4,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Černín and Knížkovice are administrative parts of Zdice. Geography Zdice is located abou ...

, 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 in Hudlice, near Beroun – 14 November 1847 in Prague) was a Czech poet and linguist, and a leading figure of the Czech National Revival. Together with Josef Dobrovský, he is considered to be a creator of the moder ...

, Šebestián Hněvkovský and brothers

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and

Vojtěch Nejedlý Vojtěch Nejedlý (17 April 1772, in Žebrák Žebrák () is a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,200 inhabitants. Administrative parts The village of Sedlec is an administrative part ...

. 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, 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 ''Pís ...

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