Miloslav Kabeláč

Suppression and Resistance

During his studies, Miloslav Kabeláč received important musical impulses from Erwin Schulhoff, Alois Hába, and Karel Boleslav Jirák. He had a significant influence as a music director at Czech Radio. As a conductor, he led the Czech Philharmonic and the Radio Prague Orchestra, and with his Kabeláč Ensemble, he realized numerous premieres and first performances (including works by Arnold Schönberg).

With the German occupation and the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (1939–1945), a difficult period began for Kabeláč. Despite pressure from the radio, he refused to divorce his Jewish wife, the pianist Berta Rixová, and lost his job. From then on, he no longer appeared publicly as a conductor or composer. However, he continued to compose intensively during the war years. He responded to the political situation with his powerful resistance cantata Weichet nicht! (Neustupujte!) – for Kabeláč, it was "a cry of conscience from this world against the atrocities and inhumanity of fascism." By a miracle, his family survived the war.

When the communist coup took place in 1948, Kabeláč once again responded musically. He composed the cantata Kummer (Žalost) "for the drawer," not writing the clearly critical text in the score, as he feared it would endanger both himself and his wife. Shortly afterward, he received a state commission for composition. He then adapted his resistance cantata into a Funeral Music for Wind Orchestra.

This balancing act between intellectual resistance and calculated caution, the preservation of his artistic identity and integrity, and a call for charity runs as a compositional narrative throughout Kabeláč's music. He rejected all ideologies and was never co-opted by the communist regime; he was not a party member and, even under political pressure, never composed propaganda works. His work is characterized by a humanistic attitude, which also reflects his personal stance.

Miniature and Monument

Kabeláč's music is architecturally and formally masterful, inspired by Czech history and folklore, but also by non-European music.

While Kabeláč never completely left the tonal realm, over time he developed a system of modal structures, similar to Béla Bartók or Olivier Messiaen. One of his philosophical reference works is Mysterium of Time from the 1950s. But his eight symphonies (each written for a different ensemble) stand as a monument in their own right. In addition, he left behind an extensive body of choral, chamber, and piano works, as well as many songs and music for children. Here, Kabeláč shows himself as a master of the miniature. As one of the first Czech composers, he also wrote electroacoustic music.

International Success and Quiet End

From the 1960s onward, his music was increasingly performed abroad. His Otto Invenzioni and Otto Ricercari for percussion became some of his most successful works, and his 7th Symphony was premiered in 1968 at the Prague Spring Festival by the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra under Ernest Bour.

After the suppression of the Prague Spring, his work fell into increasing obscurity. Performances were prevented in Czechoslovakia, and his music gradually disappeared from public view – even abroad. He was denied entry to a memorial concert in Strasbourg (which included the premiere of his 8th Symphony, 1971) for political reasons.

Shortly before his death, Kabeláč dedicated the Jewish Prayer to his wife on their 40th wedding anniversary. It was the composer’s wish that this work should carry the last opus number, even though he continued composing afterward.

After his death, Kabeláč's music gradually returned to Czech concert life. However, comprehensive international recognition remained elusive until the end. Many of his works have neither been premiered, edited, nor recorded.