Josef Suk - Meditation on the Old Czech Chorale 'St. Wenceslas', Op. 35a (1914)

Josef Suk (4 January 1874 - 29 May 1935) was a Czech composer and violinist. He studied under Antonín Dvořák, whose daughter he married.
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Meditace na staročeský chorál „Svatý Václave“, Op. 35a (1914) for String Quartet
Dedicated: Ferdinand Pečírka
Suk String Quartet
Description by James Leonard [-]
Josef Suk composed his Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn "St. Wenceslas" for string quartet, Op. 35, in August 1914. He wrote it to "strengthen the hope in the return of power to the hands of the Czech people, after the storms of wrath are over." Like many of his countrymen, Suk believed that World War I would result in the independence of his country from the Austrian-Hungarian empire. Toward this end, his work stresses the third section of the hymn "do not let us and future generations perish." The Czech String Quartet, in which Suk played second violin, premiered the work in 1914 and performed it in nearly every concert given for the duration of the war. The Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn "St. Wenceslas" opens, slowly and pensively, with overlapping entries of the hymn in the different instruments. The music deliberately and purposefully builds to an enormous climax that implores God's deliverance, then finds solace in ineffable tranquility. Suk also made transcriptions of the piece for piano and for string orchestra. The latter became a musical rallying cry for the Czech nation before and during the German occupation of the country during World War II.

[@pcamposgrafica]

Una delicia musical para los oidos!!!! Gracias por este canal y tu dedicación!

[@lightning9494]

That last chord. 😍

[@mmbmbmbmb]

stunning ~ thank you!

[@exivious_erik]

Beautiful! More works from this composer, please.

[@bartjebartmans]

I uploaded so far quite a bit by Suk. All of his pianoworks, his symphonies, string quartet etc.

[@Apfelstrudl]

@@bartjebartmans thank you for that! Suk is just great!

[@exivious_erik]

@@bartjebartmans Thanks! :3

[@OaktownGirl]

Lovely!

[@jacobbump1282]

This is beautiful! Thank you for posting. I would love to see more from Suk. He worked with Dvorak?!....another of my absolute favorite composers. Would love to see some Dvorak as well. :-) Thank you so much for this.

[@bartjebartmans]

He was the son-in-law of Dvorak.

[@jacobbump1282]

@@bartjebartmans That's so cool. :-) He had one of the best mentors for sure. :-)

[@jiricevela3822]

@@jacobbump1282 he was his pupil as well (alongside Vítězslav Novák, born 150 years ago) and that is how he met Dvořák's daughter Otilie. Her and Dvořák's death in 1905 forced Suk to compose Asrael, one of the most powerful pieces of the Czech music history I dare to say. Moreover, Suk really influenced Dvořák in his language - Rusalka is the best example of this case.

[@MrAdvmusic]

Impressive piece. I whish there was a contrabass... Thanks for sharing this!

[@aramkhachaturian8043]

I feel like I have heard of this melody before.

[@bartjebartmans]

You noticed he also used the Dies Irae, nice touch!

[@TheodoreServin]

There's also an English-language Christmas carol called "Good King Wenceslaus", which refers to the same Wenceslaus (or Vaclav in Czech), who was an important medieval king of Bohemia. I believe it's a different melody from this one, though.

[@maxpilmaier]

​@@TheodoreServin That is quite common misknowledge, but it's not true. The carol "Good King Wenceslaus" refers indeed to a bohemian king, who ruled in late 1300's and early 1400's. His sister was a wife to the king of England (Richard II), so Wenceslaus was known there and that's probably how the carol came to life. The chorale St. Wenceslaus however refers to a different Wenceslaus; to a Bohemian duke (it wasn't yet a kingdom), who ruled in early 900's, was killed by his brother and later was canonized and became a patron of Czech lands (that's why it's "saint"). And because his cult was later in christian Bohemia quite strong, he got a chorale that praised him, which originates to probably early 1300's (it is possible, that it was composed by one of prague arcibishops during reign of Charles IV., father to the king Wenceslaus). And this melody was used as an inspiration by several czech composers (here by Josef Suk), mainly during difficult times as a sign of national strength/unity etc.

[@TheodoreServin]

@@maxpilmaier That's interesting, I didn't know it's a different Wenceslaus/Vaclav. What house did the duke belong to? Thanks for sharing this information!

[@maxpilmaier]

@@TheodoreServin The duke belonged to an ancient bohemian house Přemyslid (Přemyslovci), begining of their rule is told in national legends. They seized to rule in 1306, when young and only heir of the senior line king Wenceslaus III. was assasinated. After some peripetions John the Blind duke of Luxembourg (from the house of Luxembourg) was elected as a new king by czech estates in 1310, when he married sister of the last Přemyslid king Wenceslaus III. John's grandson Wenceslaus IV. was The king Wenceslaus, after whom developed the carol.

[@asherkalfus2450]

Incredible, there is no chromaticism until the modulation around 3:20.

[@elliephillips7022]

Who are the performers - is this by chance recorded by the violinist Josef Suk Jr., the composer's grandson? Or does "Suk String Quartet" only refer to the fact that this work is performed as a quartet? Thanks!

[@violin3394]

I´m pretty sure it's the name of the string quartet.

[@musicomunista]

I missed the double bass part on this recording

[@bartjebartmans]

The double bass was written in for the string orchestra version. String Quartet version is without double bass and that's the one I used. I have a string orchestra recording but I vastly prefer this one, the string quartet version.

[@RNCM_Philosophy]

Who are the performers?

[@bartjebartmans]

If you click on the tab "show more" you will see Suk Quartet

[@RNCM_Philosophy]

@@bartjebartmans Yes I'm aware! Who are the quartet members?