Editing Bohuslav Martinů (section)

== Life ==
{{Moresources|section|date=November 2022}}
=== 1890–1923: Polička and Prague ===
[[File:Martinu 1897ca.jpg|thumb|170px|right|Martinů as a child playing the violin ({{circa|1896}})]]
The setting of Martinů's birth was unusual. He was born in the tower of the St. Jakub Church in [[Polička]], a town in [[Bohemia]], close to the [[Margraviate of Moravia|Moravian]] border. His father, Ferdinand, a shoemaker, also worked as the church sexton and town fire watchman. For this, he and his family were allowed to live in the tower apartment. As a small boy Bohuslav was sickly, and frequently had to be carried up the 193 steps to the tower on the back of his father or his older sister. In school he was known to be very shy, and did not participate in the plays or pageants with his classmates. But as violinist, he excelled and developed a strong reputation, giving his first public concert in his hometown in 1905. The townspeople raised enough money to fund his schooling, and in 1906 he left the countryside to begin studies at the [[Prague Conservatory]]. 

Whilst there he fared poorly as a student, showing little interest in the rigid pedagogy, nor the hours of violin practice required. He was far more interested in exploring Prague and learning on his own, attending concerts and reading books on many subjects. This was in contrast to his roommate, Stanislav Novák, who was an excellent student and a brilliant violinist. They frequently attended concerts together at which Martinů became engrossed in analysing new music, particularly French impressionist works. He could memorize much of it, to the extent that when back in their room, he could write out large parts of the score almost perfectly. Novák became astonished at how meticulously Martinů could do this. He became convinced that his roommate, while lacking in other subjects, possessed an incredible brain for analysing and memorizing music.<ref>Rybka, F. James, p 22.</ref> 

They became friends for life. Dropped from the violin program, Martinů was moved to the organ department that taught composition, but he was finally dismissed in 1910 for "incorrigible negligence".<ref>Jan Smaczny, "Martinů, Bohuslav", ''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'', second edition, edited by [[Stanley Sadie]] and [[John Tyrrell (professor of music)|John Tyrrell]] (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001), vol. 15, p. 939.</ref>

Martinů spent the next several years living back home in Polička, attempting to gain some standing in the musical world. He had written several compositions by this time, including the ''Elegie'' for violin and piano, and the symphonic poems ''Angel of Death'' (''Anděl smrti'') and ''Death of Tintagiles'' (''Smrt Tintagilova''), and submitted samples of his work to [[Josef Suk (composer)|Josef Suk]], a leading Czech composer. Suk encouraged him to pursue formal composition training, but this would not be possible until years later. In the meantime, he passed the state teaching examination and maintained a studio in Polička throughout [[World War I]], while continuing to compose and study on his own. It was during this time that he studied the ancient choral hymns of the [[Bohemian Brethren]], which would influence his style and musical scope.

As World War I drew to a close and [[Czechoslovakia]] was declared an independent republic, Martinů composed the celebratory cantata ''Czech Rhapsody'' (''Česká rapsodie''), which was premiered in 1919 to great acclaim. He toured Europe as a violinist with the National Theatre Orchestra, and in 1920 became a full member of the [[Czech Philharmonic]] Orchestra that was led by the inspired young conductor [[Václav Talich]], who was the first major conductor to promote Martinů. He also began formal composition study under Suk. During these last years in Prague he completed his [[String Quartet No. 1 (Martinů)|first string quartet]] and two ballets: ''Who is the Most Powerful in the World?'' (''Kdo je na světě nejmocnější?'') and ''Istar''.

=== 1923–1940: Paris ===
Martinů finally departed for Paris in 1923, having received a small scholarship from the Czechoslovak Ministry of Education. He sought out [[Albert Roussel]], whose individualistic style he respected, and began a series of informal lessons with him. Roussel would teach Martinů until his death in 1937 by helping him focus and bring order to his compositions, rather than instructing him in a specific style. During his first years in Paris, Martinů incorporated many of the trends at the time, including [[jazz]], [[Neoclassicism (music)|neoclassicism]], and [[Surrealist music|surrealism]]. He was particularly attracted to Stravinsky, whose novel, angular, propulsive rhythms and sonorities reflected the industrial revolution, sports events and motorised transportation.<ref>Martinu, Bohuslav, 1924 Texts on Stravinsky, Lucie Berna, editor, Martinu Revue, May–August 2013, vol XIII, No 2.</ref> Ballets were his favorite medium for experimentation, including ''The Revolt'' (1925), ''The Butterfly That Stamped'' (1926), ''Le raid merveilleux'' (1927), ''La revue de cuisine'' (1927), and ''Les larmes du couteau'' (1928). Martinů found friends in the Czechoslovak artistic community in Paris and would always retain close ties to his homeland, frequently returning during the summer. He continued to look to his Bohemian and Moravian roots for musical ideas. His best-known work from this time is the ballet ''[[Špalíček (ballet)|Špalíček]]'' (1932–33), which incorporates Czech folk tunes and nursery rhymes.

The prime leader of new symphonic music in Paris at this time was [[Serge Koussevitzky]], who presented the biannual Concerts Koussevitzsky (1921–29). He became the conductor of the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] in 1924, but still returned to Paris each summer to conduct his Concerts. In 1927, Martinů happened to see him at a café, introduced himself, and gave him the score of a symphonic triptych, ''La bagarre'', that was inspired by [[Charles Lindbergh]]'s recent landing. The maestro was impressed, and scheduled its premiere with the Boston Symphony in November 1927.<ref>Safranek, Milos,''Bohuslav Martinů, The Man and his Music,'' pp. 32–33.</ref>

In 1926, Martinů met Charlotte Quennehen (1894–1978), a French seamstress from Picardy. She was employed at a large garment factory and, after their romance began, she moved into his small flat and helped to support him. She would become an important force in his life, handling the cuisine and business matters that he found trying. They married in 1931. Culturally, however, the two were quite different, a fact that would cause problems in their marriage over the years.<ref>Rybka, pp.62–63</ref>

By 1930, Martinů had withdrawn from his seven years of experimentation to settle on a neo-classical style. In 1932, he won the Coolidge prize for the best of 145 chamber music works for his String Sextet with Orchestra. This was performed by Koussevitzsky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1932.<ref>Safranek, M. p. 43.</ref> Martinu finished his opera ''[[Julietta]]'' in 1936; this was based upon a surrealistic play by [[Georges Neveux]] that he had seen in 1927. Its premiere was given in Prague under Václav Talich on 14 March 1938.

In 1937, Martinů became acquainted with a young Czech woman, [[Vítězslava Kaprálová]], who was already a highly accomplished musician when she arrived in Paris, supported by a small Czech government grant to study conducting with [[Charles Munch (conductor)|Charles Munch]] and composition with Martinů. Their relationship soon developed beyond that of student-teacher as he fell madly in love with her. After she returned to Czechoslovakia, Martinů wrote her many long, passionate letters. In one of these, he proposed that he would divorce Charlotte and then take her to America. It was while he was in this distraught, frenzied state that Martinů composed one of his greatest works, the Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani. It was finished just a few days before the [[Munich Agreement]] was sealed (30 September 1938).<ref>Rybka, FJ pp. 82–83.</ref>

After the Munich Agreement, President [[Edvard Beneš]] began to form a Czechoslovak government in exile set up in France and England. As a significant number of troops became organized into a Czech resistance force, Martinů tried to join them but was rejected because of his age. However, in 1939, he composed a tribute to this force, the ''[[Field Mass]]'' for baritone, chorus and orchestra. It was broadcast from England and was picked up in occupied Czechoslovakia. For this, Martinů was blacklisted by the Nazis and sentenced ''in absentia''. In 1940, as the German army approached Paris, the Martinůs fled. They were sheltered by Charles Munch who had a place near Limoges. Soon, they journeyed on to Aix-en-Provence, where they stayed for six months while trying to find transit out of [[Vichy France]]. He was helped by the Czech artistic community, particularly {{ill|Rudolf Kundera|cs}}, along with [[Edmonde Charles-Roux]] and the Countess [[Lily Pastré]]. Despite the harsh conditions, he found inspiration in Aix and composed several works, notably the ''Sinfonietta giocosa''. Charlotte wrote: "We fell in love with Aix: the delicate murmur of its fountains calmed our agitated feelings and later Bohus was inspired by them."<ref>Charlotte Martinů, ''My Life with Bohuslav Martinů'', Prague: Orbis, 1978.</ref> Finally, on 8 January 1941, they left Marseilles for Madrid and Portugal, eventually reaching the United States in 1941 with the help of his friend, the diplomat Miloš Šafránek, and especially from Martinů's Swiss benefactor, [[Paul Sacher]], the conductor of the [[Basel Chamber Orchestra]], who arranged and paid for their passages.<ref>Rybka, FJ p 93</ref>

=== 1941–1953: US ===
[[File:Martinu 1943.jpg|thumb|Martinů in {{circa|1942}}]]
Life in the United States was difficult for him initially, just as it was for many other artist émigrés in similar circumstances. Lack of knowledge of English, of funds, and of opportunities to use their talents were common to them. When they first arrived in New York, the Martinůs rented a studio apartment at the Great Northern Hotel on 57th St. They were helped by several musician friends, including pianist [[Rudolf Firkušný]], violinist [[Samuel Dushkin]], cellist Frank Rybka, diplomat Miloš Šafránek, and multi-lingual lawyer {{ill|Jan Löwenbach|cs}}. Martinů soon found that he was unable to resume composing in noisy Manhattan, so for the following season they leased a small apartment in [[Jamaica Estates]], Queens, close to the Rybkas. This leafy, residential neighborhood was conducive for him to take long solitary walks at night, during which he would work out music scores in his head. On several occasions he would "zone out" in deep concentration about the music, becoming oblivious of his surroundings and getting lost, and would then call a friend with a car to come find him and take him back home.<ref>Rybka, FJ p. 110p</ref> Thereafter, he began to compose actively. When he contacted Serge Koussevitzsky, the conductor told him that his Concerto Grosso would receive its premiere in Boston the following season. One of the first compositions Martinů wrote in New York was the ''Concerto da Camera'' for violin and small orchestra, in fulfillment of a commission he had been awarded before the war by Paul Sacher.<ref>Rybka, FJ pp. 59, 105</ref> The following year, they moved back to Manhattan into an apartment in a brownstone on 58th St, across from the Hotel Plaza. That was where they lived for the rest of their years in America. Composer [[David Diamond (composer)|David Diamond]], who sub-leased this apartment in 1954, has described it in an interview.<ref>Rybka, FJ pp.&nbsp;126–127.</ref>

"As the War was coming to an end, the Martinůs encountered marital difficulties. Charlotte, who never did like America, wanted strongly to return to France. He did not, so when he accepted Koussevitzky's offer to teach at the Berkshire Music School for the summer of 1946, she went to France alone for a prolonged visit. In [[Great Barrington, Massachusetts]], he was lodged with the students in [[Searles Castle (Massachusetts)|Searles Castle]], and his magnificent master bedroom opened onto a terrace. One night, Martinů took his customary walk on the terrace, a section of which had no railing, and he fell off, landing on concrete, and was hospitalized with a fractured skull and concussion. He drifted in and out of a coma, but survived. After several weeks he was released to recuperate with friends. By this time, Roe Barstow had entered his life. She was an attractive divorcee of independent means, who lived alone in Greenwich Village. With Charlotte away in France, she was at Martinů's side, assisting in his recovery, during which their relationship deepened. After Charlotte returned in the late fall, she found that her husband was a different man: gaunt, irritable, crippled and in pain from the accident.<ref>Rybka, FJ pp 151–154, 157, 161–165.</ref> It required a few years before he was able to return to his former state as a solid composer."

Apart from his domestic problems, Martinů was unsure about which country he would live in. He had considered returning to Czechoslovakia as a teacher, despite having a powerful enemy there in the communist politician [[Zdeněk Nejedlý]]. Any plans to return were further hampered by the [[1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état|1948 Czechoslovak ''coup d'état'']]. With the communists' seizure of power, music, along with the other arts, became an instrument of propaganda along Soviet ideological lines. Martinů was branded as a formalist and émigré traitor, and he chose wisely not to pursue any kind of professional engagement in his native land from this time forward.<ref>Svatos, Thomas, "Sovietizing Czechoslovak Music: The "Hatchet Man" Miroslav Barvik and his Speech,''The Composers Go with the People'' ''Music and Politics'' vol IV/1 (2010) 1–35</ref> Martinů became an American citizen in 1952.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://orelfoundation.org/composers/article/bohuslav_martinu|title=Bohuslav Martinu|last=Svatos|first=Thomas|publisher=The OREL Foundation}}</ref>

Martinů was indeed reluctant to leave America which had been very supportive of him. He taught at the [[Mannes College of Music]] for most of the period from 1948 to 1956. He also taught at [[Princeton University]]<ref>Rybka, FJ pp 182–87</ref> and the Berkshire Music School (Tanglewood). At Princeton he was warmly received by faculty and students. His six symphonies were written in the eleven-year period 1942–1953, the first five being produced between 1942 and 1946. In addition, he composed the [[Violin Concerto No. 2 (Martinů)|Violin Concerto No. 2]], ''{{ill|Memorial to Lidice|cs|Památník Lidicím}}''
for orchestra, Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, Piano Concerto No. 3, ''Concerto da Camera'' for violin and small orchestra, ''Sinfonietta La Jolla'' for piano and small orchestra, Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3 for cello and piano, many chamber compositions, and a television opera, ''[[The Marriage (opera)|The Marriage]] (Ženitba)''. His symphonic scores were performed by most of the major orchestras: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, and he generally received fine reviews from the leading critics.

Owing to the extraordinary volume of Martinů's oeuvre, some critics who never knew the man have stated that he composed too much, too fast, and therefore must have been careless in quality. However, he has been defended strongly by musicians and critics who did know him. Olin Downes knew Martinů better. For his interviews of Martinů, he had the benefit of having Jan Löwenbach, a friend of both men, present as an interpreter. Downes' defense of the composer came out in an article, "Martinu at 60".<ref>''[[The New York Times]]'' January 7, 1951.</ref> "Martinu […] is incapable of an unthorough or conscienceless job. He works very hard, systematically, scrupulously, modestly. He produces so much music because in the first place, his nature necessitates this. He has to write music. In the second place, he knows his business and loves it."<ref>Rybka, FJ, pp. 321–22.</ref> The composer David Diamond knew Martinů both in Paris and New York. In an interview years later, he expressed amazement at how extraordinary Martinů's mind was in developing a whole orchestral score while taking a walk.<ref>Rybka, FJ pp. 134–35.</ref>

Martinů's notable students include [[Burt Bacharach]], [[Alan Hovhaness]], [[Vítězslava Kaprálová]], [[Louis Lane]], [[Jan Novák (composer)|Jan Novák]], [[H. Owen Reed]], [[Howard Shanet]] and [[Chou Wen-chung]].

=== 1953–1959: Europe ===
In 1953, Martinů left the United States for France and settled in Nice, and completed his ''[[Fantaisies symphoniques]]''; the following year he composed ''[[Mirandolina (opera)|Mirandolina]]'' and piano sonata, and met [[Nikos Kazantzakis]], beginning work on ''The Greek Passion''. During 1955 he created several key works: the oratorio ''[[The Epic of Gilgamesh (Martinů)|Gilgames]]'' (The Epic of Gilgamesh), the Oboe Concerto, ''[[Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca]]'', and the cantata ''Otvirani studanek'' (The Opening of the Wells); Charles Munch conducted the ''Fantaisies symphoniques'' premiere in Boston which gained the composer the annual New York critics' prize for the work.<ref name="BMDUP">Bohuslav Martinů 1890-1959 : Life and Work. Divadelni Ustav, Praha, 1990, p7-8.</ref> In 1956, he took up an appointment as composer-in-residence at the [[American Academy in Rome]] and composed ''Incantation'' (his fourth piano concerto) and much of ''The Greek Passion'', which he completed in January the following year.<ref name="BMDUP"/>

Jan Smaczny commented that in the compositions of Martinů's last years "we find the composer attempting through his music a vicarious homecoming",<ref>Smaczny, Jan. The Mystery which unites. In: Welsh National Opera, The Greek Passion - programme book. 1984, p33.</ref> although he never returned to Czechoslovakia. His prolific output continued in 1958 with ''The Parables'' for orchestra and the opera ''[[Ariane (Martinů)|Ariane]]''. The following year he attended the first production of ''Julietta'' since the premiere in Prague, in Wiesbaden. Further composition continued up to his death: the second version of ''The Greek Passion'', the Nonet, the Madrigaly, and the cantatas ''Mikeš z hor'' (Mikeš from the Mountains) and ''The Prophecy of Isaiah'',<ref name="BMDUP"/> "one of the most striking and most individual of Martinů's works".<ref>Malcolm Rayment in ''Audio and Record Review'' (July 1968), quoted in Martinú In His Time, Part 5, by Lambert, Patrick. Classical Recordings Quarterly. Summer 2013, Issue 73, p32-41. 10p.</ref>

From 1956, he lived in [[Pratteln]] in Switzerland as a guest of Paul Sacher. He died of [[stomach cancer|gastric cancer]] in [[Liestal]], Switzerland, on 28 August 1959. His remains were moved and buried in Polička, Czechoslovakia, in 1979.<ref name=JK>{{cite book |last=Kapusta |first=Jan |title=Neuveřitelná kauza Martinů |publisher=Arbor vitae |date=2014 |isbn=978-80-7467-043-5}}</ref>