RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
A1 Vičarová, Eva
T1 St Wenceslas Cathedral in Olomouc - the Archbishop's Sanctuary and the Centre of Cyrilian Reform
JF Musicologica Olomucensia
YR 2009
VO 10
IS 1
SP 191
OP 218
UL https://musicologica.upol.cz/artkey/mus-200901-0013.php
AB The history of the music in the Cathedral of St Wenceslas in Olomouc is several hundred years long. The golden age was the 17th and 18th centuries. Information on the first half of the 19th century is still scarce. References in literature are found to Dominik Pillhatsch of Dvorce and Mořic Kunert. After them the choir declined. Pavel Křížkovský as choir leader (1872-1873, 1874-1883) pushed through the Cecilian reform and reorganized the cathedral staff. Josef Nešvera was at the head of the choir for thirty years (1884-1914) and his reforming efforts followed upon those of his predecessor. His era is marked by stabilization in organization as well as in the repertoire. Music in the Cathedral was of a high artistic standard again and was regarded as a model for the entire diocese. The quality of the music in the Cathedral when Antonín Petzold (1914-1931) was the Kapellmeister sank considerably due to the social and economic changes produced by the First World War. The frequent periods of illness of the choir leader are to blame too. The orchestra suffered by a crisis of the staff and the performances. The choir leader Gustav Pivoňka (1931-1975) succeeded in returning the cathedral choir to a good performing standard and maintained it even in the politically unfavourable fifties and sixties. The orchestra again filled all its functions. The dramaturgy was focused on contemporary Czech church music.