Musicologica Olomucensia

Distinguished music composer from the town of Olomouc, Pavel Čotek, born on 12th March 1922, in Fryšava in the Czech-Moravian Highland. He is a graduate of the Prague Conservatory (1941-47), pedagogical branch. He studied composition in private with his uncle O. Šín, and after his death with J. Řídký. He completed his study of composition at the Janáček Academy of Arts and Music (JAMU) in Brno (1961-65), class of C. Kohoutek. First (1948-57), he has devoted himself to the activity of a teacher and a choirmaster in Slaný and Polička, director of musical schools and organizer of musical life in Litomyšl and Choceň. The friendship of this place with the composer Lubor Bárta was of great importance for Pavel Čotek. He moved to Olomouc in 1958. From that time on, he is an untiring educationalist and organizer; he enlarged his activity in creative committees of composers in Ostrava, central bodies of the Union of Czech Composers and Concert Artists and the committee of Czech Musical Foundation in Prague. Since 1960 (with a short intermission under constraint) he has been teaching theory of music at the Department of Musicology at the Palacký University, where he had also habilitated as a senior lecturer. The work of Pavel Čotek is characterized of its chamber character, conciseness of forms, gleaming lyricism, ingenious combination of modern composition techniques and music attractive for listeners. It was awarded in various competitions. From the chamber music creativity let´s mention at least: the melodrama for two voices and chamber ensemble Portrait of a Bird, Wind music for piccolo, trumpet, bass trumpet, bass trombone and piano, Bicinium for two instruments as desired, Allegories for piano. Let us recall also orchestral compositions: Concertino grosso, Symphonic Etudes, Concerto for two players on percussion instruments and orchestra, vocal compositions: Trefoil for choir, Cantata of Merry Tunes, Pastime, Memory, By all Voices, Old Japanese Songs for soprano and piano, cycle of songs for mezzosoprano and piano Home. Pavel Čotek created a specific synthesis of his original orientation to Novák´s and Suk´s works and his knowledge of new trends in music in 1960´s. And this synthesis is characteristic of his creativity up to the present day.