Marta Kubišová | |
|---|---|
 Kubišová in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1942-11-01)1 November 1942 (age 83) České Budějovice,Bohemia and Moravia (now Czech Republic) |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1961–2017 |
| Labels | Supraphon |
| Website | http://kubisova.cz/ http://www.martakubisova.cz/ |
Marta Kubišová (born 1 November 1942) is a Czech singer.[1] By the time of thePrague Spring of 1968, with her song "Modlitba pro Martu" ("A prayer for Marta"), she was one of the most popular female singers inCzechoslovakia.[1]
In 1967 she wonZlatý slavík award (English:Golden Nightingale). Her song "Prayer for Marta" became a symbol of national resistance against theoccupation of Warsaw Pact troops in 1968. During thePrague Spring, she recorded over 200 SP records and one LP,Songy a Balady (Songs and Ballads, released in 1969), which was immediately banned from stores. In 1970, the government falsely accused her of making pornographic photographs leading to a ban from performing in the country until 1989. In 1971, she arrangedAngelo Michajlov's score forDívka na Koštěti (The Girl on a Broomstick). She was a signatory of theCharter 77 proclamation. Her first LPs after theVelvet Revolution in 1989 were a re-issue ofSongy a Balady and a compilation of old songs, titledLampa.
Born 1 November 1942 inČeské Budějovice, Kubišová's father was a cardiologist, her mother was a housewife, who later sold records inCeletná street in Prague. In 1952 the family moved toPoděbrady. Wanting to get to college after graduating from high school, she started to work in Poděbrady glassworks. Her singing career began with a dance group which performed inNymburk at the afternoon teas. In 1961, she reached the finals inHledáme nové talenty ("The Search for Talent"). In 1962, she lost her job in the glass factory, and auditioned for the Stop Theatre inPardubice. In 1963, she moved to Theatre Alpha inPlzeň to perform inBlack Dream, a production byLudvík Aškenazy. She began collaborating withVáclav Neckář andHelena Vondráčková in December 1965, when preparing for performances ofWaiting for Fame. In 1967 she wonZlatý slavík. A song, "Prayer for Marta", with lyrics by Petr Rada, became a symbol of national resistance against theoccupation of Warsaw Pact troops in 1968. On 1 November of that year, she joined with Neckář and Vondráčková to create the popular group, 'Golden Kids'. In 1969 she won her second Zlatý slavík award and married film directorJan Němec. A year later, she won the Zlatý slavík a third time, but she had to receive the award in secrecy of the office of theMladý svět magazine due to the commencingnormalization. The last performance of the Golden Kids took place on 27 January 1970 in Ostrava.
In February 1970, the government banned her from performing in the country on the pretext of alleged pornography, based on the three falsified photo-montages as evidence. She took the director of record labelSupraphon, Hrabal, to court for libel, and although she won, she only had her rights fully restored 20 years later, after the Czechoslovak communist regime fell in 1989.[2] During that time, she could only perform at underground invitation-only events. In the late 1980s, she auditioned to become singer of the groupThe Plastic People of the Universe, but this was disallowed by the secret police.[3]
In 1971, she suffered a miscarriage in the eighth month of pregnancy and survived clinical death. She married directorJan Moravec after divorcing her husbandJan Nemec, who had emigrated to the United States. After signingCharter 77, her persecution and monitoring by the communist state secret police escalated. From 1977 to 1978 she participated as a spokesperson for Charter 77.[4]
On 1 June 1979, she gave birth to her daughter Kateřina. On 10 December 1988 after a long absence from the public eye, she appeared at a demonstration on the 40th anniversary of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights, during which she sang theCzechoslovak national anthem. On 22 November 1989, during theVelvet Revolution, she sang "Prayer for Martha" and the Czechoslovak national anthem from a balcony onWenceslas Square. Then followed the reissue ofSongy a Balady, and in 1990 she returned to the studio and the stage. On 2 June 1990 she performed the famous show "Marta v Lucerně", for which she was awarded the Golden Nightingale in 1970. The music was performed by the groupEnergit and directed byLubos Andršt, with whom she then went on tour to perform 60 concerts around Czechoslovakia, as well as shows in Japan, Paris and Berlin. In 1991 she co-hosted Advent concerts. Two years later she rejoined with Vondráčková and Neckář in a Golden Kids comeback. On 28 October 1995 she received the state award – theMedal of Merit – from PresidentVáclav Havel. Adam Georgiev released her biography,Chytat slunce (Catching the Sun), in 1995. On 7 March 1998, she was awarded theHonorary Medal of T.G. Masaryk at a ceremony in the ballroom ofPrague Castle. In October 2002, she was bestowed with theSt. Wenceslas Honours. Three years later, her second biographical bookAsi to tak sám Bůh chtěl, written by Luboš Nečas, was published.
For several years, she regularly prepared recitals on her home stage at thePrague Ungelt Theatre. There she also appeared in a chamber musicalLíp se loučí v neděli, and was awarded the Thalia prize for her performance. In 2005 she released a novelty album,Vítej, lásko, the full text to which was written by John Schneider. In 2008 Supraphon released her first DVD.
In 2011 the play byMałgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk based on Kubišová's life was staged atInternational Theatre Festival DEMOLUDY inOlsztyn, Poland.
On 1 January 2018 Kubišová received a state award theOrder of the White Double Cross (second class) fromPresident of SlovakiaAndrej Kiska.[5]
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