Karel Richard Šebor (13 August 1843 – 18 May 1903) was a Czech

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

composer.

Life

He was born in

Brandýs nad Labem Brandys or Brandýs may refer to: * Brandys (surname) *Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav (; and ''Altbunzlau'') is an administratively united pair of towns in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region ...

and raised by his grandfather, a teacher who discovered his musical talent. Šebor attended the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

from the age of twelve and, inspired by Beethoven's ''

Symphony No. 9 Symphony No. 9 most commonly refers to: * Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) in D minor (Op. 125, ''Choral'') by Ludwig van Beethoven, 1822–24 * Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák) in E minor (Op. 95, B. 178, ''From the New World'') by Antonín Dvořák, 1893 ...

'', had a first own symphony performed in 1859. From 1861 he worked as a music teacher in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, but left during the 1863

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

to work as a ''

Kapellmeister ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

'' in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

. Back in Prague, he became music director at the National Theatre and had his first resounding success at the age of 22 with ''The Templars in Moravia''. Likewise, his second and third opera ''Drahomíra'' and ''Nevěsta husitská'' ("The Hussite Bride") were well received. However, in 1871 he fell out with the theatre management and took up a post at the Lemberg Theatre. Afterwards his success faded and he was largely forgotten.''Opera'' Vol.33 1982 "Karel Sebor (1843-1903), was a Wunderkind who, in the 1860s, was considered a rival to Smetana" He spent his later years as a military band director in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

. Šebor did not retire to private life until half a year before his death in 1903. He died in

Vinohrady Vinohrady (until 1960 Královské Vinohrady, in English literally "Royal Vineyards" ) is a cadastral district in Prague. It is so named because the area was once covered in vineyards dating from the 14th century. Vinohrady lies in the municipal ...

, Prague.

Operas

* 1865 ''Templáři na Moravě'' ("The Templars in Moravia"), libretto by

Karel Sabina Karel Sabina (pen names include Arian Želinský and Leo Blass) (29 December 1813 – 8 November 1877) was a Czech writer and journalist. Life Karel Sabina grew up in poverty as an extramarital child of a daughter of a sugar producing factory' ...

* 1867 ''Drahomíra'' * 1868 ''Nevěsta husitská'' ("The Hussite Bride") * 1870 ''Blanka'' * 1879 ''Zmařená svatba'' ("The Ruined Wedding")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebor, Karel Czech male classical composers 1843 births 1903 deaths Composers from Austria-Hungary Composers from Prague People from Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav Prague Conservatory alumni 19th-century Czech classical composers 19th-century Czech male musicians