František Drdla

František Alois Drdla (Germanized as Franz Drdla; 28 November 1868 – 3 September 1944[1]) was a prominent Czech concert violinist and composer of light music.

Portrait of František Drdla

Biography

Drdla was born in 1868 in Žďár nad Sázavou, in what is now the Czech Republic.[1] He studied violin and composition first at the Prague Conservatory and later at the Vienna Conservatory where his teachers were Josef Hellmesberger, Jr. for violin, Anton Bruckner for music theory and Franz Krenn for composition. However, Drdla's music shows none of his teacher's influence. From 1890 to 1893 he played violin in the orchestra of the Vienna Court Opera, and from 1894 to 1899 he pursued his career as the director and concertmaster of the Theater an der Wien.[1] By then a well-known concert violinist, Drdla toured throughout Europe (1899–1905) and later the United States (1923–1925). Drdla enjoyed a good reputation as a violinist with a technically refined tone.[1] In 1927 he received an honorary title from the President of Austria.[1] Drdla died in Bad Gastein, Austria in 1944.

Although he composed three operettas, a violin concerto, several orchestral works and two piano trios, international fame came to Drdla as a result of composing lighter music in the late romantic style. These works generally mixed popular Bohemian (Czech) or Hungarian melodies and presented them à la viennoise. Among the best known of such works are Souvenir (1904), Vision (1906) and Hey, Hay! (1908) written for violin with piano. Hey, Hay! became popular in more than a dozen different versions including those for orchestra, piano quintet, and string quartet. Drdla's compositions were popularized by violinists Jan Kubelík, Marie Hall, Mischa Elman, Joseph Szigeti, Váša Příhoda and others.

Selected works

Operetta

  • Zlatá síť (The Golden Net) (1915–1916)
  • Komtesa z prodejny (The Shop Countess / Die Ladenkomtesse), Operetta in 3 acts (1916–1917)
  • Bohyně lásky (The Goddess of Love / Die Göttin der Liebe), Operetta Burleske in 3 acts (1940); revision of Zlatá síť

Orchestra

  • Op. 134J'y Pense for orchestra, piano and harmonium (1914)

Concertante

  • Op. 245 – Violin Concerto in D minor for violin and orchestra (1931)

Chamber music

  • Op. 200Duo Concertante for violin, cello and piano (or violin and piano) (1924)
  • Op. 240 – Piano Trio in G minor (1930)
  • Op. 243Agnus Dei for voice, violin and piano

Violin and piano

  • Serenade No.1 in A major for violin and piano (1901)
  • Serenade No.2 in E major for violin and piano (1903)
  • Romanze (Romance) in A major for violin and piano (1903)
  • Souvenir in D major for violin and piano (1904)
  • Op. 19Polonaise in G major for violin and piano (1904)
  • Op. 21Träumerei (Dreaming) in D major for violin and piano (1905)
  • Op. 22Mazurka No.1 ("Marie Hall Mazurka") in G major for violin and piano (1905)
  • Op. 23Mazurka No.2 in G major for violin and piano (1905)
  • Op. 24Mazurka No.3 in A major for violin and piano (1906)
  • Op. 25Madrigale in A major for violin and piano (1906)
  • Op. 26Mélodie in F major and Au printemps in B major for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 27Dialogue in G major and Tarantelle in D major for violin and piano (1906)
  • Op. 28Vision in E major for violin and piano (1906)
  • Op. 29Le Songe (Notturno) in D major for violin and piano
  • Op. 308 Ungarische Tänze (8 Danses hongroises / 8 Hungarian Dances) for violin and piano (1908)
No.1 – Hej de Fényes
No.2 – Hamis babám
No.3 – Ég a kunhyó
No.4 – Hej, haj! (Hey Hay!) (1908); composed in several versions
No.5 – Kalvesai-emlék (Memories of Kalvesa)
No.6 – Bártfai-emlék (Memories of Bártfa)
No.7 – Rózsabokor csárdás (Rosebush Csárdás)
No.8 – Csak egy szép lány (There's Only One Lovely Girl) (1909)
  • Op. 31Chant d’amour, Valse chanson in D major for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 32Ivresse in F major for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 33Berceuse (Wiegenlied / Lullaby), Intermezzo in C major for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 34Méditation in C major, Ballade in G minor, Au soir in F major and Lenorka in G major for violin and piano (1909)
  • Op. 35Danse des sorcières (Witches' Dance / Hexentanz) in G major for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 36Idylle in A major for violin and piano
  • Op. 37Rêverie in E major, Frühlings-Serenade in A major and Feu follet in D major for violin and piano
  • Op. 40Fantasie for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 41Polichinelle for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 42Waltz-Serenade in C major for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 42Tarantella for 2 violins and piano (1909)
  • Op. 43Chanson joyeuse in D major for violin and piano
  • Op. 46Tendresse for violin and piano (1909)
  • Op. 47Causerie for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 48Illusion in G major for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 50Danse gracieuse in G major for violin and piano
  • Op. 51Intermezzo, Waltz in G major for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 52Capriccio for violin and piano (1908)
  • Op. 54Rococo in E major for violin and piano (1909)
  • Op. 55Rezinka in D major for violin and piano
  • Op. 56Berceuse for violin and piano (1910)
  • Op. 57Ritornell in D major for violin and piano (1909)
  • Op. 61Marche triomphale and Tarantelle for violin and piano (1910)
  • Op. 62Scherzando for violin and piano (1910)
  • Op. 65Poëme for violin and piano (1910)
  • Op. 66Fantasie über 'Carmen' von Bizet (Fantasia on 'Carmen' by Bizet) for violin and piano (1909)
  • Op. 67Canzonetta in B major for violin and piano (1909)
  • Op. 70Chant de la Fileuse in G major for violin and piano
  • Op. 71Aubade d'été, Humoresque in F major for violin and piano (1910)
  • Op. 73Fantasie über 'Hoffmanns Erzählungen' von Offenbach (Fantaisie sur 'Les contes d’Hoffmann' de Offenbach / Fantasia on 'The Tales of Hoffmann' by Offenbach) for violin and piano (1910)
  • Op. 81Menuet in G major for violin and piano (1911)
  • Op. 84Legende in A major for violin and piano (1911)
  • Op. 86Novellette for violin and piano (1911)
  • Op. 88Guitarrero for violin and piano (1912)
  • Op. 90Colombine, Gavotte for violin and piano (1912)
  • Op. 92La poupée, Menuet in G major for violin and piano (1912)
  • Op. 93Temps passés for violin and piano (1912)
  • Op. 95Aus der Heimat, Böhmische Volksweisen (Bohemian Airs) for violin and piano (1912)
  • Op. 98Zwiegespräche (Dialogues) for 2 violins and piano (1913)
No.1 – Glückliche Stunden (G major)
No.2 – Spiel und Tanz (E minor)
No.3 – Treue Kameraden (D major)
No.4 – In der Plauderecke (A major)
No.5 – Tragische Geschichte (G minor)
No.6 – Froher Festtag (B major)
  • Op. 99Nocturne for violin and piano (1913)
  • Op. 108Romance Bergère
  • Op. 111Ariel for violin and piano (1913)
  • Op. 112Tarantelle for violin and piano (1913)
  • Op. 125The Hummingbird for violin and piano (1914)
  • Op. 1274 kleine Vortragstücke (4 Short Concert Pieces) (1915); includes: Rain of Blossoms, Night Winds
  • Op. 131Otázka (Question / Frage) for violin and piano (1914)
  • Op. 132Perpetuo
  • Op. 142Fantasie nach Motiven der Oper 'Die verkaufte Braut' von Smetana (Fantaisie sur 'La finacée vendue' de Smetana / Fantasia on 'The Bartered Bride' of Smetana) (1915)
  • Op. 154Bilder aus Ungarn, 5 Hungarian Folksongs for violin and piano (1917)
  • Op. 180Graziella for violin and piano (1925)
  • Op. 182Le trouvère for violin and piano (1925)
  • Op. 183Notturno for violin and piano (1925)
  • Op. 184D'automne for violin and piano (1925)
  • Op. 186Pierette for violin and piano (1925)
  • Op. 187Wiener Walzer (Valses Viennoises / Viennese Waltzes) (1925)
  • Op. 189Ráno (Aubade) for violin and piano (1924)
  • Op. 191Tarantella (1925)
  • Op. 196Pagoda and Springbrunnen (The Fountain) for violin and piano (1927)
  • Op. 197Katinka, Mazurka caractéristique for violin and piano (1927)
  • Op. 199Danse espagnole for violin and piano (1927)
  • Op. 201Lybellentanz (Dragonfly Dance) and Sylvan Dance for violin and piano (1925)
  • Op. 225Concertino in A minor for violin and piano (1929)
  • Op. 226Alt-Wien (Old Vienna) in A major for violin and piano (1930)
  • Op. 228Sehnsucht (Longing) for violin and piano
  • Op. 233Die Libelle (Libellule / The Dragonfly) in D major for violin and piano (1933)

Notes

  1. Černušák, Gracián; Štědroň, Bohumír; Nováček, Zdenko, eds. (1963). Československý hudební slovník I. A-L (in Czech). Prague: Státní hudební vydavatelství. p. 264.

See also

References

  • Oldřich Pukl, article in The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, Ed. S. Sadie, Vol.V, p. 611, London, Macmillan 1980
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