Frantisek Jan Skroup

Skroup was a Czechoslovakian composer who attempted to bring about a lied or art song in the Czech style. The results were not as formidable as he wished as the majority of songs that others contributed were folk oriented. Skroup was able to translate other operas into the Czech language, produce original Czech works and with Chmelensky published the annual "Venec ze zpevu vlasteneckych." This was a clear attempt at collecting, prompting and promoting songs of Czech nationalism. He succeeded in obtaining a collection of works spanning approximately thirty years of Czech songs that later inspired the development of the true Czech art song. Two operatic successes by Skroup included "Dratenik" and "Fidlovacka." The former was unexpected and centered around a tinker who is able to maneuver a merchant to his own ends. Musically the accompaniments and harmonies were soft and endearing. The latter work was a satire based on the Prague festival of shoemakers. The music parodies stock characters who are presented in the music with operatic forms set next to folk melodies, old and new. "Kde domov muj?" was a song from this opera that was so popular that it became a part of the Czech national anthem in 1918. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi