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JIŘÍ HEROLD

 

The Herold Quartet took their name from the great Czech musician Jiří Herold (1875 - 1934). Herold was a unique person: being an outstanding chamber musician, soloist, teacher as well as respected luthier and composer. He studied violin (by Ferdinand Lachner and Antonín Bennewitz) and musical theory and composition (by Karel Knittl and Karel Stecker) at the Conservatory in Prague. His first professional engagements were in Vienna and Cracow. Then, for two years (1901 - 1902) he was a concert master of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

He started his chamber music carreer as the first violinist of the string quartet named after him. But in 1906 he joined the famous Czech Quartet, where he played viola. Being a member of this outstanding ensemble for three decades, he took part in many highly successfull tours and memorable concerts in most of the European countries.

Czech Quartet in thirties (from left to right: Karel Hoffmann, Josef Suk, Jiří Herold, Ladislav Zelenka)

Czech Quartet in thirties (from left to right: Karel Hoffmann, Josef Suk, Jiří Herold, Ladislav Zelenka).

As a violist he performed as a soloist also; some of works of his contemporaries are dedicated to him. In 1922 he came back to the Prague Conservatory - as a professor of chamber music. The composing was merely a hobby for him but his difficult Six Etudes for viola are being played very often. As an exact luthier he created about 50 very well rated instruments, mostly violins. (Another engrossing interest of Jiří Herold was in the astronomy.)

A person who, throughout his life, was very active in a variety of musical branches, died suddenly - in the radio studio during the rehearsal of Berlioz Harold in Italy.