Marek Kopelent (; 28 April 193212 March 2023) was a Czech composer, music editor and academic teacher, who is considered to have been at the forefront of the "New Music" movement, and was one of the most-published Czech composers of the second half of the 20th century. After studies in Prague, he worked as a music editor. In 1959 he became interested in European avantgarde music and incorporated its developments in his style. He received international recognition when his String Quartet No. 3 was performed at festivals throughout Europe. He co-founded and directed a contemporary music ensemble in Prague, Musica Viva Pragensis, and composed

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

for them. He studied further for one year in West Berlin on a scholarship by Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst. When he returned, politics had changed to censorship of contemporary music; he lost his job, and his music was banned. For 15 years, he worked as an accompanist at a music school, and composed pieces for foreign commissions that he could not hear being performed. In 1989, he was able to return, and was appointed professor of composition at the

Academy of Fine Arts in Prague The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (; AVU) is an art college in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 1799, it is the oldest art college in the country. The school offers twelve master's degree programs and one doctoral program. History Starting ...

. He was chairman of the Czech section of the

International Society for Contemporary Music The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) is a music organization that promotes contemporary classical music. The organization was established in Salzburg in 1922 as Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (IGNM) following the ...

. His compositions focus on chamber music, concertante music, and vocal music from solo songs to oratorios, based on a wide range of texts from medieval to contemporary. He received international awards.

Life and career

Early life

Kopelent was born in Prague,

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, on 28 April 1932. His father František Kopelent was a lawyer, and his mother was a French teacher. The boy and his sister were schooled in French. From 1951 to 1955 Kopelent studied composition with

Jaroslav Řídký Jaroslav Řídký (25 August 1897 – 14 August 1956) was a Czech composer, conductor, harpist, and music teacher. Life Řídký was born at Reichenberg, now Liberec. From 1919 to 1923 he studied at the Prague Conservatory with Josef Bohuslav ...

at the

Academy of Performing Arts in Prague The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (, AMU) is a university in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic, specialising in the study of music, dance, drama, film, television and multi-media. It is the largest art school in the Czech Republic, wit ...

. He followed the late-Romantic style of his teacher in an orchestral piece concluding his studies, ''Satanela''. He then worked from 1956 as a music editor for contemporary music for the

Supraphon Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers. History The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. Th ...

publishing house.

1959

From 1959, Kopelent noticed increasingly the styles of the

Second Viennese School The Second Viennese School () was the group of composers that comprised Arnold Schoenberg and his pupils, particularly Alban Berg and Anton Webern, and close associates in early 20th-century Vienna. Their music was initially characterized by late ...

and the European

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

movement. He read books such as

Ctirad Kohoutek Ctirad Kohoutek (18 March 1929 in Zábřeh, Czechoslovakia – 19 September 2011 in Brno, Czech Republic) was a contemporary Czech composer, music theorist, and pedagogue. Life In 1948–1949 he studied composition, musical theory and conducting ...

's ''New Compositional Theories of Western European Music'' (Prague 1962), listened at the

Warsaw Autumn Warsaw Autumn () is the largest international Polish festival of contemporary music. It was established in 1956 by two composers, Tadeusz Baird and Kazimierz Serocki, and officially established by the Head Board of the Polish Composers' Union ...

to music and met Czech composers,

Witold Lutosławski Witold Roman Lutosławski (; 25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Among the major composers of 20th-century classical music, he is "generally regarded as the most significant Polish composer since Szymanow ...

, Krzysztof Penderećki and others, and had personal contacts with Western European composers including

Luigi Nono Luigi Nono (; 29 January 1924 – 8 May 1990) was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music. Biography Early years Nono, born in Venice, was a member of a wealthy artistic family; his grandfather was a notable painter. Nono bega ...

and

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

. He absorbed influences and reflected them in his works. The first piece to come to the attention of the musical world outside of Czechoslovakia was his Third String Quartet (1963), in large part due to the interpretation of the piece by the Novák Quartet which performed it throughout Europe. In the 1960s, Kopelent became well known in contemporary European music circles, with his compositions being performed at such festivals as Warsaw Autumn,

Donaueschinger Musiktage The Donaueschingen Festival, or more precisely ''Donaueschingen Music Days'' (), is a three-day October event presenting new music in the town of the same name, where the Danube River starts, at the edge of the Black Forest in southern Germany. F ...

Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik The Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik (Witten Days for New Chamber Music) is a music festival for contemporary chamber music, jointly organised by the town Witten in the Ruhr Area and the broadcasting station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). The con ...

and the annual

Darmstädter Ferienkurse Darmstädter Ferienkurse ("Darmstadt Summer Course") is a regular summer event of contemporary classical music in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. It was founded in 1946, under the name "Ferienkurse für Internationale Neue Musik Darmstadt" (Vacation Co ...

1965–1973

From 1965 to 1973, Kopelent served as an artistic director of the contemporary music ensemble Musica Viva Pragensis, which had been founded by Petr Kotík in 1961. It was conducted by his colleague

Zbyněk Vostřák Zbyněk Vostřák (10 June 1920 – 4 August 1985) was a prominent Czech people, Czech composer of ''New Music''. Life He studied composition privately with Rudolf Karel and was a conducting student of Pavel Dědeček in Prague. From 1939 to 1943 ...

, and for which he wrote several chamber pieces for the ensemble. In the Prague musical life of the 1960s, both the ensemble and the composers associated with it rose in importance, developing into the Prague Group of New Music, which brought together composers, musicologists and players, in opposition to the official Czech composers' association. In 1969, Kopelent accepted a scholarship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, which included a one-year artistic internship (''Berliner Künstlerprogram'') in

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

. In the meantime, the situation in Czechoslovakia changed following the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

, and New Music was less accepted. In 1971 Kopelent lost his job as editor, and his music was banned by the Czechoslovak government for twenty years. He was ostracized by the new Union of Composers, and his ensemble Musica viva Pragensis was not permitted by the authorities to pursue its concert activity.

1976

In 1976, Kopelent accepted a job as a piano accompanist for a children's dance schools in Radotin, where he remained for 15 years. During the 1970s he composed many pieces, a number of them for foreign commissions, but, as he could not leave Czechoslovakia, he was unable to hear their performances.

1989

After the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

in 1989, Kopelent became a music advisor in the office of president Váćlav Havel. In 1991 he was appointed professor of composition at the musical faculty of

, a position he retained. He was a co-founder and chairman of the Czech section of the

, and was chairman of the Atelier 90 composers' association. Kopelent was the organiser and a regular lecturer to International Composers' Summer Courses, held in

Český Krumlov Český Krumlov (; , ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. It is known as a tourist centre, which is among the most visited places in the country. The historic centre ...

. Among his students were Czech composer , recipient of a ''stabat mater'' at the national competition of young composers, Czech composer , First Prize in the 1993 national competition of young composers, Ukrainian composer

Svitlana Azarova Svitlana Azarova (; born 9 January 1976) is a Ukrainian-Dutch composer of contemporary classical music, originally from the Ukrainian SSR. Early years Svitlana Azarova was born on 9 January 1976, in Izmail, then in the Ukrainian SSR, now in Ukra ...

, and Latvian composer

Ēriks Ešenvalds Ēriks Ešenvalds (born 26 January 1977) is a Latvians, Latvian composer, mainly of choral music. From 2011 to 2013 he was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, Trinity College, University of Cambridge. Biography Ērik ...

. Kopelent died in Prague on 12 March 2023, at age 90, at the

Motol University Hospital Motol University Hospital () is a large teaching hospital in the Motol area of Prague. It is the largest medical facility in the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked ...

after a short illness. *

Compositions

Kopelent's works include five

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s, oratorios and concertante works. They have appeared in a number of compilations of Czech composers. He was one of the most-published Czech composers in the second half of the 20th century. His works include:

Orchestral and vocal orchestral works

* ''Satanela'',

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...

for orchestra, based on a poem by

Jaroslav Vrchlický Jaroslav Vrchlický (; 17 February 1853 – 9 September 1912) was a Czech people, Czech lyrical poet. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel prize in literature eight times. Life He was born Emilius Jakob Frida in Louny ...

(1954–55), Library of the Academy of Music * Symphony (1982),

Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel () is a German Music publisher, music publishing house. Founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, it is the world's oldest music publisher. Overview The catalogue contains over 1,000 composers, 8,000 works ...

* ''Pazdravení'' (''Greetings''), overture (1984), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Chléb a Ptáci'' (''Bread and Birds''), cantata for

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

, recitation, mixed choir and orchestra, text: poem by

Jan Skácel Jan Skácel (7 February 1922 – 7 November 1989) was a Czechoslovakia, Czech poet of Moravians (ethnic group), Moravian origin, widely acclaimed as one of the best poets who had been writing in Czech language, Czech. Biography Skácel was born ...

(1957–62), Czech Music Fund (CHF) * ''Laudatio pacis'', by P. H. Dittrich (Germany), Sofia Gubaydulina (USSR) and Kopelent, oratorio for soprano, contralto, tenor, bass and recitation soloists, chamber choir, mixed choir and orchestra to texts by

Jan Amos Komenský John Amos Comenius (; ; ; ; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considered the father of modern education. He served as the last bishop of the Unit ...

(Comenius) (1975) * ''Legend – "De passione St. Adalberti Martyris"'', oratorio for recitation, mixed choir and orchestra to a Latin text of an ancient Bohemian legend (1981), CHF * ''Ona skutecne jest'' (''She Really Exists''), for tenor, bass, recitation, mixed choir, children's choir and orchestra, text by

Vladimír Holan Vladimír Holan (; September 16, 1905 – March 31, 1980) was a Czechoslovak poet famous for employing obscure language, dark topics and pessimistic views in his poems. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in the late 1960s. Life Holan was bor ...

(1985–86) * ''Messaggio della bontà'', oratorio for soprano and baritone, recitation, children's choir, mixed choir and orchestra (1987), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Lux mirandae sanctitatis'', oratorio for soprano, recitation, mixed choir, children's choir and instrumental ensemble (1994), Supraphon (SU) * ''Judex ergo'' for ''

Requiem of Reconciliation The ''Requiem of Reconciliation'' was a collaborative work written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. It sets the Catholic church, Catholic mass for the dead in fourteen sections, each written by a different composer f ...

'', 1995 * ''ARÍÍJAh'', for orchestra, (1996) * ''ZASTŘENÝ HLAS NAD HLADINOU KLIDU'' (''A Dimmed Voice Above the Level of Calm''), for trumpet and chamber orchestra (2000)

Concertante compositions

* ''Appassionato'', for piano and orchestra (1970–71), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Sváry'', for a group of twelve instruments and orchestra (1968), CHF * ''A Few Minutes With an Oboist'', ''concerto galante'' for oboe and chamber ensemble (1972), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Hrátky'' (''Games''), for alto saxophone and orchestra (1974–75), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Il canto de li augei'', arias for soprano and orchestra to Italian lyrics by Renaissance poets (1977–78), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Libá hubda s sidovým motivem'' (''Likeable Music With a Folkmotif'', concerto for dulcimer and orchestra (1976), Breitkopf & Härtel * Concertino for cor anglais and chamber ensemble (or orchestra) (1984), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Musique concertante'', for cello, 12 cellos and orchestra (1991), SU

Music for chamber orchestra or ensemble

* ''Rozjímání'' (''Contemplation''), for chamber orchestra (1966), Breitkopf & Härtel + SU' * ''Nénie'' (''Nänie'') with flute for the late Hana Hlavsová, for flute, nine female voices and chamber ensemble (1960–61),

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

Panton (PA) * String Quartet No. 3 (1963), SU * Quintet for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, viola and piano, Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Pocta Vladimíru Holanovi '' (''A Tribute to Vladimír Holan'') for nonet (1965) * String Quartet No. 4 (1967), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Zátiší'' (''Still Life'') for chamber ensemble (1968), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Intimissimo'', music and a poem for chamber ensemble and tape recording (2 reciters) of a poem by

Paul Fort Jules-Jean-Paul Fort (1 February 1872 – 20 April 1960) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. At the age of 18, reacting against the Naturalistic theatre, Fort founded the Théâtre d'Art (1890–93). He also founded and edi ...

(1971), Breitkopf & Härtel, Styrian Autumn * Brass Quintet (1972), Breitkopf & Härtel * Sonata for 11 stringed instruments (1972–73), Breitkopf & Härtel * Rondo "Před příchodem roztomilých katů aneb trojí klanění naději" ("Before the Arrival of the Charming Executioners" ''or'' "Three Bows to Hope") for five percussion instruments (1973), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Toccata'' for harp, harpsichord and dulcimer (or el. guitar) (1974), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Triste a consolante'' for wind quintet of new or early instruments ad lib. (1977), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Musica lirica'' for flute, violin and piano (1978–79) * ''Furiant'' for piano trio (1979) * String Quartet No. 5 (1979–80), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Êtres fins en mouvement'' for 6 percussionists (1987), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Eines Tages'', for 6 cellos (1987), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Romanze'' for 2 pianos (one tuned a quarter tone lower) (1991), SU * ''Le petit rien'', for piccolo flute and percussion (1991)

Music for solo instruments

* ''Pro Arnošta Wilda'', for piano (1966), Breitkopf & Härtel * Hallelujah, for organ (1967), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Bijou de bohème'' for harpsichord (1967), Breitkopf & Härtel * Ballad for piano (1976), Breitkopf & Härtel * Capriccio for trumpet (1976), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Jitřní chvalozpěv'' (''Lob in der Frühe'', ''Morning Eulogy'') for organ (1978), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Canto intimo'' for flute and vibraphone (1963), Edition Modern, Munich * ''Musique piquante'' for violin and dulcimer (or piano) (1971), Breitkopf & Härtel * Toccata for viola and piano (1978), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Le petit rien'', for piccolo and percussion (1991) * ''Karrak'' for cello and piano (1991) * ''Canto espansivo'' for clarinet (1993), SU * ''Per Aminko'' for harpsichord (1998), Ritornel * ''Cantus rogas'' for cello (1990) * ''Der Gnade Freude'' (''Radosti z milosti'') for organ (1999)

Vocal music

* ''Písně rozhořčené'' (''Angry Songs'') for baritone and piano to poems by

Petrarca Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; ; modern ), born Francesco di Petracco, was a scholar from Arezzo and poet of the early Italian Renaissance, as well as one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's let ...

(1956), CHF * ''Miniaturní písně'' (''Miniature Songs'') for baritone and piano to ancient Japanese poems (1960–61) * ''Snehah'' for soprano, jazz contralto (from a tape recording), tape recording and chamber ensemble (1967), SU * ''Bludný hlas'' (''Irrende Stimme'', ''Errant Voice'') for an actress, tape recording, chamber ensemble, film (35 or 16 mm) and light ad lib. (1969), * ''Black and White Tears'' for solo voice (1972), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Nářek ženy'' (''A Woman's Lament''), melodrama for an actress, 7 brass instruments, 14 female voices and a children's choir, texts by the composer and M. Procházková (1980), CHF * ''Vrh kostek'' (''The Casting of Dice''), for 4 reciters and tape, to a poem by Mallarmé (1980) * ''Zjitřený zpěv'' (''Excited Song'') for baritone and brass quintet, text by

Josef Hora Josef Hora (8 July 1891 – 21 June 1945) was a Czech poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwr ...

(1982–83), CHF * Agnus Dei, for soprano and chamber ensemble to texts by

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

(1983), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Mon Amour'', for soprano, tenor, chamber ensemble, and female choir, to texts by

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

(1988), SU * ''Der Augenblick'' for soprano, flute and piano, to texts by

Andreas Gryphius Andreas Gryphius (; 2 October 161616 July 1664) was a German poet and playwright. With his eloquent sonnets, which contains "The Suffering, Frailty of Life and the World", he is considered one of the most important Baroque poets of the Germanos ...

(1989), SU * ''Le chant du merle au détenu'', for mezzo-soprano, flute, accordion and piano, to poems by

Jan Zahradníček Jan Zahradníček (17 January 1905, Mastník, Moravia − 10 October 1960, Vlčatín) was a Moravian (Czech) poet, journalist and translator. He was one of the most important Czech Catholic poets of the 20th century. Because of his faith and ...

(1991), SU * ''Holanovská reminiscence'' for mezzo-soprano, recitation, choir, clarinet, trombone and piano, to poems by

(1995) * ''Cantus de dilectione filiarum Dei'' for 5 sopranos, baritone, and 3 trombones to texts by

Thérèse de Lisieux Therese or Thérèse is a variant of the feminine given name Teresa. It may refer to: Persons Therese * Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1773–1839), member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg * Therese of ...

(1998) * ''Ze zápisníku Nataši H.'' (''From the Notebook of Natasjy H.'', nine fragments for soprano and baritone, to texts by the mentally handicapped Natasja Hamouzová (2000)

Choral music

* ''Matka'' (''Mother''), frescoes for mixed choir with flute (1964), Pa and DGG (Deutsche Gramophongesellschaft) 11' * ''Modlitby kamene'' (''Stone Prayer'') for a reciter, 2 mixed chamber choirs and 3 tom-toms, to a poem by Vladimír Holan (1967), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Žaloby'' (''Klagen'', ''Complaints'') for mixed choir, trumpet and timpani ad lib. (1969), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Syllabes mouvementées'' (''Syllables on the Move'') for chamber choir (12 voices), (1972) * ''Vacillat pes meus'' (''I Stumble'') for mixed choir to words from the

Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of ...

(1973), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Píseň kratochvilná'' (''Amusing Song'') for mixed choir, to a text by the Bohemian chronicler Lukáš Volný (1982) * ''Regina lucis'', for mixed choir to a text from the Czech Franus hymnal from the late l5th century (1985), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Cantus supplex'' for 12 vocalists to a medieval text (1966), Breitkopf & Härtel * ''Alouette'' for 12 vocalists to the poem by

Carmen Bernos de Gasztold Carmen Bernos de Gasztold (9 October 1919 – 23 September 1995) was a French poet who lived in a Benedictine abbey. Her most famous collection is titled ''Prayers from the Ark''. The 1955 publication consists of short poems, each expressing ...

(1990), SU * ''Cantus pro defunctis'', for medium voice (1994), SU * ''Appels'' for 12 vocalists and 3 percussion players (1996) * ''Cantus de navitate filii'' for medium (or low) voices (1997)

Music for children's choir

* Four Songs to poems by VÍTĚZSLAV NEZVAL, for children's choir and piano (1960) * ''Dotty Ditties'' for children's choir, to texts by the composer (1967) * ''Svítání'' (''Daybreak''), for a large children's choir (1975), SU * ''Cantus simplex'', for children's choir (1983)

Stage works

* ''Musica'', or: A Story of Long, Long Ago That Angels Pass On From Age to Age'',

singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk- ...

for soprano, 2 actors, flute, oboe and harpsichord, to a text by Bohumil Sobotka (1978–79),

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it ...

Awards

In 1991, Kopelent was honoured by the French government, which named him a

Chevalier des arts et des lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

. He received the Czech Classic Award in 1999, the

Herder Prize The Herder Prize (), named after the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), was a prestigious international prize awarded every year from 1964 to 2006 to scholars and artists from Central and Southeast Europe whose life and wor ...

in 2001, and a Czech State Award for his lifelong contribution to Czech music in 2003.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kopelent, Marek 1932 births 2023 deaths Czech composers Czech male composers Musicians from Prague Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Herder Prize recipients Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni