| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Art competitions | ||
 | 1936 Berlin | Orchestra |
Jaroslav Křička (Czech:[ˈjaroslafˈkr̝̊ɪt͡ʃka]; 27 August 1882 – 23 January 1969) was aCzechcomposer,conductor andmusic teacher. He was the brother of poetPetr Křička [de].
Jaroslav Křička was born on 27 August 1882 inKelč,Moravia,Austria-Hungary. He was born into the family of the Kelč village cantor and headmaster František Křička (1848–1891) as the oldest of three siblings. His mother was Františka Křičková (1861-1936). His brother Petr Křička (1884–1949) later became a well-known poet, and his sister Pavla Křičková (1886–1972) became a writer. Their father enthusiastically supported the musical education of his children; Jaroslav received violin, piano, and voice lessons as a child.[1]
He attended high school inHavlíčkův Brod and graduated in 1900. As a high school student, he founded his own vocal quartet,string quartet, and student orchestra and began to compose. After graduating from high school, he moved toPrague and studied at thePrague Conservatory from 1902 to 1905. Under the tutelage ofJosef Klička, he studiedorgan,orchestration, andharmony. He studied conducting withKarel Knittl [cs] and composition with Karel Stecker[cs]. His musical role models were the famous Czech composersAntonín Dvořák,Bedřich Smetana, andZdeněk Fibich, and later also the CzechmodernistsVítězslav Novák andJosef Suk.[1]
After studying for a year inBerlin (1905–1906), he moved toRussia for three years (1906–1909) and taughtmusic theory, harmony, andchamber music at the Imperial Music School inYekaterinoslav. There he founded an orchestra with which he performed works by Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana. In Russia, he developed friendships with the composersAlexander Glazunov andSergei Tanejev. Křička was inspired by Russian poetry and music, and the work of composersMikhail Glinka andModest Mussorgsky particularly influenced his compositions. It was in Ekaterinoslav that he penned one of his most famous songs, "Albatross," from the cycleSeverní noci(Northern Nights). Mussorgsky's song cycles for children also inspired him to compose his own children's songs.[1][2]
Křička moved to Prague in 1909, and from 1911 to 1920 he directed the Prague choir Hlahol[cs]. His tenure as director afforded him the opportunity to study numerous works by contemporary Czech composers such asLeoš Janáček, Vítězslav Novák, andOtakar Jeremiáš, in addition to premiering Novák's cantataSvatební košile (The Wedding Shirt), Op.48. During this period, he also began his first major work: the operaHipolyta. From 1911 he championed his former teacher Karel Stecker at the Prague Conservatory, and after Stecker's death in 1919 he was appointed as a full professor of composition.
On 14 October 1918, he married Marie Krbová, apianist and singer in the Hlahol choir who studied underJosef Bohuslav Foerster. Together with his studentJaroslav Řídký, Křička conducted the choir of theCzech Philharmonic from 1922 to 1930. During the critical years of World War II and the German occupation (1942–1945), he also served asrector of the Conservatory.[1]
During his many years of teaching at the Prague Conservatory, Jaroslav Křička trained numerous composers, including Jaroslav Řídký, Karel Hába,Emil Hlobil, Karel Janeček,Václav Trojan,Ján Cikker,Jan Kapr andJarmil Burghauser. He spent the last years of his life in theBohemian Forest Foothills, where he dedicated himself to his composing in the village of Červené Dvorce nearSušice.[1] He died on 23 January 1969 in Prague. He is buried at theVyšehrad Cemetery in Prague.
In 1936, Jaroslav Křička won a bronze medal in theart competitions of the Olympic Games for hisHorácká suita (Horácko Suite a.k.a.Mountain Suite), Op. 63.[3]
He was elected a member of theCzech Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1921, and in 1957 he received the esteemed title of Honored Artist (Zasloužilý umělec). The Křička Brothers Museum is located in his hometown of Kelč.[4]
Jaroslav Křička's work encompasses almost all musical genres, in his words, “frompassions tooperetta,”[2] with a distinct emphasis onvocal compositions. In addition tosong cycles andcantatas, he also composedoperas, operettas,incidental music,symphonies, string quartets, and chamber music works. His compositions for children were significant and unique for his time; he wrote numerous children's song cycles and the first Czech children's opera,Ogaři (1918). At the end of the silent film era, Křička began composingfilm scores;[5] in 1929, he wrote the music for the historical filmSvatý Václav, which commemorated one thousand years since the death of the Bohemian rulerWenceslaus I. He began composing operettas after 1945.
In addition to his musical compositions, Křička wrote many treatises on music and published regularly in the music periodicalsHudební revue andHudební rozhledy.
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