Otakar Jeremiáš (17 October 1892 – 5 March 1962) 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 ...

composer, conductor and teacher. He was the son of composer

Bohuslav Jeremiáš Bohuslav (, ; ) is a city on the Ros River in Obukhiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Bohuslav urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 17,135 (2001). It is known as Boslov by some of its Yiddish ...

and the brother of composer

Jaroslav Jeremiáš Jaroslav (also written as Yaroslav or Jarosław in other Slavic languages) is a Czech and Slovak first name, pagan in origin. Its feminine form is Jaroslava. There are several possible origins of the name Jaroslav. It is very likely that origina ...

Life

Jeremiáš was born in

Písek Písek (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 31,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the oldest bridge in the country. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument z ...

. An accomplished cellist and pianist, he studied at 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 ...

of Music. He lived in

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

, where he directed a local music school until February 1929, when he was appointed head conductor of the

Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Symfonický orchestr Českého rozhlasu'', Czech acronym SOČR, English acronym PRSO) is a Czech broadcast orchestra based in Prague, the Czech Republic. The SOČR performs concerts at the Dvořák Hall of ...

. When he succeeded Charvat as conductor of the Radiojournal Orchestra in 1929, there were only 27 players, but he managed to increase its size to 45 by 1931 and by 1936 there were 70, achieved by much negotiation, good salaries for the players, as well as his own charisma.Lambert, P. In the shadow of Talich. '' International Classical Record Collector'', Summer 1996, Vol 2, 5, p12-13. In 1945 Jeremiáš left the Radio Symphony Orchestra to become president of the

Prague National Theatre The National Theatre () is a historic opera house in Prague, Czech Republic. It is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural ...

Opera. From 1949 he was chairman of the ''Federation of Czechoslovak Composers'' (''Svaz československých skadatelů''). He died 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 ...

. Jeremiáš's view of conducting was set out in an article in 1943 where he wrote "My ideal is a creative orchestra, whose members, in accord with the efforts of the conductor, creatively collaborate during their performance". His wife was the soprano Marie Budíková who sang Mařenka in an abridged recording of Smetana's ''

The Bartered Bride ''The Bartered Bride'' (, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It ...

'' conducted by her husband on the Esta label.

Composer

He was influenced by the works of

Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( ; ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival". He has been regarded ...

Zdeněk Fibich Zdeněk Fibich (, 21 December 1850 in Všebořice – 15 October 1900 in Prague) was a Czech composer of classical music. Among his compositions are chamber works (including two string quartets, a piano trio, piano quartet and a quintet for pia ...

and

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 ...

. Selected works: *''Love'' (1921) *''Zborov'' (1927) *''The Brothers Karamazov'' (1927) *''Enšpígl'' – opera (finished 1949) *''The Spring Overture''

Discography

Among the works recorded by Jeremiáš are a medley from ''The Bartered Bride'' (Odeon, 1929), Suk's ''Towards a New Life'' (Ultraphon, 1932), Dvořák's 16 Slavonic Dances (Ultraphon, 1940), all with the Radio Orchestra, and the ''

New World Symphony New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

'' during the war (Esta). Excerpts from ''

Libuše , Libussa, Libushe or, historically ''Lubossa'', is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czechs, Czech people as a whole. According to legend, she was the youngest but wisest of three sisters, who became queen after their father ...

'' with Marie Podvalová in the title role were recorded for Ultraphon in the early 1940s with forces of the Prague National Theatre.

References

*Jiří Vysloužil: ''Hudební slovník pro každého II.'' Vizovice: Lípa, 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeremias, Otakar 1892 births 1962 deaths 20th-century Czech composers 20th-century Czech conductors (music) 20th-century Czech male musicians Czech male composers Czech male conductors (music) Prague Conservatory alumni