A brief history of the Prague

The Prague Conservatory ranks among the oldest music schools of this type in Europe. It was founded in 1808 to provide education to orchestral musicians. A proclamation of Prague music-loving aristocrats of 25^th April 1808, which is now considered a foundation charter of the Prague Conservatory, was a primary stimulus for the foundation of the school. Soon after the charter was published the first financial contributions started gathering and the number of supporters was growing. However, their efforts were crossed by the Napoleonic wars. In March 1810, the aristocracy syndicate established an organization called "Society for improving music in the Czech lands", which funded and managed the Conservatory for more than 100 of the following years. The first school year was opened on 24^th April 1811. The flats of the teachers served as classrooms and the syllabus used was prepared by the first headmaster Bedřich Dionýs Weber. It was not until the autumn 1811 when the school obtained premises and settled down in the Dominican monastery of Saint Giles. In 1817, singing lessons were added to orchestral instruments education. During the following period the school played a significant role in the development of the Prague musical life. Concerts of the orchestra and help of the pupils in the professional orchestras were irreplaceable for Prague above all. Honorable mention of the concerts came for example from C.M. Weber, R.Wagner, H.Berlioz and F.Liszt. In 1866, Bedřich Smetana applied for the vacancy in headmaster's office but the selection committee elected Josef Krejčí, the director of the "Organ school". When the school acquired new premises in the building of Rudolfinum, the construction of which was just completed, and Antonín Bennewitz, a famous violin teacher, became the head of the school, the "golden age" of the Prague Conservatory began. After the conservatory merged with the Organ school in 1890, other music subjects were taught: piano, organ, composition and conducting. In 1891, Antonín Dvořák started teaching at the conservatory, first as a composition teacher and later on, from 1901 to 1904 as the headmaster. He educated a whole ensemble of prominent composers, including Josef Suk, Vítězslav Novák, but also operetta composers Oskar Nedbal and Franz Lehár. Come to that, there were a lot of famous persons educated at the Prague Conservatory: Otakar Ševčík, Jan Kubelík, Jaroslav Kocian, Václav Talich, Karel Ančerl, Rafael Kubelík, Bohuslav Martinů, Alois Hába and many others. After 1918, the conservatory was nationalized but also lost its premises in Rudolfinum. For a certain period of time the conservatory resided in a monastery, this time a Benedictine one, later on in the former chemical institution in Trojanova street and finally in the building Na Rejdišti in Old Town and it stayed there until this day. In 1919, the conservatory was expanded, this time a drama school was started. Otýlie Sklenářová-Malá, a legendary actress, played an important role in the foundation of the drama school. During the interwar period, the school was managed by vice-chancellors Josef Suk, Vítězslav Novák, J.B. Foerster, Vilém Kurz, Jaroslav Kocian and other remarkable figures. After World War II, a dancing department (became independent Dancing Conservatory in 1980) and the so-called "master school of the Prague Conservatory" (follow-up course after completion of standard study) became the Academy of Music. From 1942 to 1970, the school was led by dr.Václav Holzknecht, a lawyer, pianist and popularizer of music, who lead the school through the difficult times of Nazi occupation and most of the communist totalitarianism. In 1986, the popular music department was established consisting of two major subjects – singing and composition. After the social situation changed in November 1989, the teachers and students buckled down to work to come up to the constantly increasing demands laid on the music and theatre professionals. A big commitment for everyone is to sustain the high reputation and expansion of the famous, two-century tradition of the school which during its existence educated a myriad of musicians, composers, singers, dancers and actors and played a significant role in the development of music education of the Czech nation.