Those engaged in research on Bohuslav Martinů are not uncommonly viewed with amusement by Germano-centric musicology. Here Martinů’s aesthetic of ‘Latin’ clarity and simplicity comes up against opposition that does not seem justifiable through purely rational considerations. It was Martinů’s special desire to avoid exaggerated pathos and false tragedy; rather, music was to convey joy – in the sense of his models Mozart and Dvofiák. Martinů speaks of ‘poetry’ and ‘absolute beauty’ as the ‘hidden essence of art’. It can be supposed that opponents of MartinÛ adopt an ideology of scepticism that veils their latent but ever-present desire for ‘poetic’ music.
As far as it is known, there are more extant sources for Martinů’s Fourth Symphony than any of his other symphonic works. Examining these sources reveals a series of changes Martinů made in his score since its first completion in June 1945. Even though the changes are not very substantial, they were sufficiently significant to alter an interpreter’s view of the orchestration of the work; in particular, the role of the piano within the orchestral texture. Collecting and examining the sources per se have also led to a better understanding of performance, editorial and publishing practices in Martinů’s time, and consequently, a clearer view of the composer’s intentions behind the sheer notations in the score.
V Sobotce, rodišti Bohuslava Raýmana, byla tomuto významnému českému chemikovi a organizátorovi vědeckého života nedávno při příležitosti stého výročí jeho úmrtí odhalena velmi pěkná pamětní deska. Ačkoli jeho vlastní specializací byla organická chemie, především pak výzkum aromatických sloučenin, cukrů a kvasných procesů, patřil k nemnoha našim badatelům a učitelům rozpoznavším již tehdy klíčový význam fyziky pro chemii., Jiří Jindra., and Obsahuje bibliografii