Editing Bohuslav Martinů (section)

=== 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]].