Ladislav Vycpálek hudební kritik

Abstract

The final study of pro fessor Smolka in fact complements his monograph on Ladislav Vycpálek. He chronologically follows Vycpálek’s musiccritical texts published between 1908 and 1920 primarily in the periodicals Hudební revue and Lumír. In the introduction he presents the context of the period – the prewar musical society was divided in two camps roughly corresponding with the circles surrounding the periodicals Smetana and Hudební revue. Within this context he positions Vycpálek’s polemics with Nejedlý, Helfert, O. Zich and Jirák. In the prewar period, Vycpálek’s views were strongly influenced by his teacher, V. Novák. In his texts, Vycpálek displays an affinity for the circle around Hudební revue even though he never takes part in the active „fight for Dvořák“. He states clear critical remarks concerning Foerster and Fibich, while the work of Novák and Suk is closer to his taste. Another part of the study deals with the change that Vycpálek’s evaluation takes during WW I also combined with his liberation from Novák’s influence. Nationalism becomes Vycpálek’s main evaluating criterion. He changes his attitude to folk songs as well as to Smetana in comparison to Dvořák and other Czech composers. In his critical essays after the war, he supports the rising Czech modernist composers, evaluating mainly coherence of form. He ends his publication activities in 1920 when he moves his focus primarily to composition.