Person details

Vilém Blodek

Blodek, Vilém (1834-1874). Czech composer, flautist. From a very poor peasant background Blodek gained a place at the Prague Conservatory to study the flute. Demonstrating enormous natural musical he was also taught privately composition by the Conservatory’s then director and also piano by Alexander Dreyschock. He left the Conservatory in 1852, and after a brief spell abroad returned to Prague as a pianist, teacher and conductor (of the German Männergesangeverin). In 1860 he became professor of flute at the Conservatory. He died young, leaving a legacy of astonishingly imaginative and accomplished compositions including a Concerto for flute and orchestra, and the then popular one act comic opera V studni.

The Prague German-language newspaper Tagesbote aus Böhmen 20/1/1858 published a brief report evidencing Blodek’s developing career as a composer. The report, signed ‘h.’ related: ‘New Entr’acte music in the Theatre. As we hear, through the Orchestra Director Professor Mildner, the Theatre directorship has appointed Mr Wilh. Blodek, a young pianist and composer, to compose up until Easter a number of new pieces of Entr’acte music for the orchestra. Every theatre-goer who is tormented by the unending monotony of our contemporary Entr’acte music will take note of this with unqualified pleasure. We hope that Mr Blodek’s compositions may be musically significant and interesting enough to fight against the increasingly accepted general assumption, already being imposed on some first-rate Theatre stages, that Entr’acte music my be completely abolished in the interests of the public and of the weary orchestra.’

Events in which this person participated as a accompanist

Events in which this person participated as a soloist