Hartl and Entwistle, eds.
Table of Contents
"Lexington Books takes great pride in its unwavering commitment to publishing specialized research essential to advancing scholarship at a time when many academic publishers have abandoned this part of their programs. We continue to publish high-quality monographs and edited collections by established and emerging scholars, works that may not have a wide audience but make a significant contribution to scholarship in the humanities and social sciences." From the publisher's website.
Foreword
by Michael Beckerman
Introduction: Vítezslava Kaprálová: A Biographical Sketch
by Karla Hartl
Part One
Chapter One: Kaprálová in the Context of Czech Music
by Jindriška Bártová
Chapter Two: Kaprálová's Piano Works
by Erik Entwistle
Chapter Three: Navždy (Forever) Kaprálová: Reevaluating the Czech Composer through Her Songs
by Timothy Cheek
Chapter Four: Kaprálová and the Czech Tradition of Melodrama
by Judith Mabary
Chapter Five: Sinfonietta, Partita, Suita: Kaprálová's Orchestral Works
by Judith Mabary
Part Two
Section One: Vítezslava Kaprálová: An Annotated Life Chronology
by Karla Hartl
Section Two: Vítezslava Kaprálová: An Annotated Catalog of Works
by Karla Hartl
Section Three: Vítezslava Kaprálová: Comprehensive Bibliography
by Karla Hartl
Section Four: Vítezslava Kaprálová: Published Works
by Karla Hartl
Section Five: Vítezslava Kaprálová: Discography
by Karla Hartl
Acknowledgements
Appendix A: Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
book flyer
Research published in this book has been assisted by the Kapralova Society. 
PREVIEWS
“A remarkable book! Since her death at age twenty-five in the midst of WWII, Kaprálová’s brilliant musical legacy and story have fallen through the cracks. But now this book brings her music, in all its variety and power, to the fore. This collection, by a range of distinguished scholars, offers insights and investigation into Kaprálová’s creative work and life. Nothing short of a revelation!”—Liane Curtis, Brandeis University
“This volume is the first scholarly effort in English attempting to put the puzzle of Kaprálová together in a coherent form. It represents the collective thought of the most serious scholars who have devoted themselves to studying Kaprálová and her work, and sets a high standard for those to follow.” —Michael Beckerman, New York University
“Karla Hartl and Erik Entwistle’s The Kaprálová Companion is a superb, long overdue contribution to the studies of women in music in general and, specifically, to the analysis of the remarkable composer Vitezslava Kaprálová. A thorough, well-written, and insightful guide.”—Michelle Latour, UNLV
FROM REVIEWS
Vitezslava Kapralova was a remarkable personality, a gifted composer-conductor who died much too young. But so did Keats, Schubert, and even Otis Redding. Once we get over how young she was, there is her music and artistic activity to consider. This volume is a splendid introduction to her life and work, by the leading specialists in the field. Hopefully it will be the first of many volumes dealing with her life and music.—Michael Beckerman, amazon.com
Well written and informative.—Susan E. Pickett, amazon.com
[...] Jindriška Bartová signe un excellent article replaçant Kaprálová dans le contexte de la musique tchčque de son époque. Tout l’intéręt du travail de la musicologue réside dans le fait qu’elle ne tient (heureusement) pas uniquement compte des « grandes figures » nationales mais qu’elle considčre surtout les artistes qui ont influencé – directement ou non – la jeune Vitezslava. Beaucoup ont été élčves de Janácek (comme Václav Kaprál, pčre de Kaprálová, basé ŕ Brno), męme si certains ont pris leurs distances par rapport ŕ la pensée et ŕ l’esthétique du compositeur de Jenufa. Dans son analyse des pages pianistique de « Vitulka », Erik Entwistle examine lui aussi les śuvres paternelles pour trouver les traces tangibles d’une influence naturelle. Allant bien plus loin que l’étude que Ludvík Kundera (ami de Kaprálová et pčre de Milan Kundera) avait consacré au męme sujet dans le livre de Premysl, Entwistle explore avec brio un répertoire bigarré contenant quelques chefs-d’śuvre (dont les Préludes d’avril et les Variations sur le carillon de Saint-Etienne du Mont). Judith Mabary signe quant ŕ elle deux articles tout aussi passionnants. Le premier concerne les essais et intentions de Kaprálová en matičre de mélodrame, genre souvent abordé par les Tchčques, de Benda au jeune Martinu en passant par Dušek – si la jeune femme ne concrétisa qu’un seul de ses projets dans le genre, d’autres pičces furent transformées en mélodies géniales. Dans sa seconde étude, Mabary analyse les trois pičces orchestrales importantes que sont la Vojenská Symfonieta [Sinfonietta militaire], la Partita op.20 composée sous le tutorat de Martinu et la Suita Rustica, page d’inspiration folklorique influencée par Stravinsky (non-éditée ŕ ce jour). S’il est difficile de faire le tour complet de la question en un peu moins de trente pages, la musicologue pose de solides bases pour les futures recherches analytiques autour de ces śuvres.—Nicolas Derny, forumopera.com
This immensely valuable work deserves a place on the shelves of every serious follower of Czech music. What adds inestimably to the value of the book is the quality of the contributors. Packed with vital information about a little known but important composer of the first half of the 20th century, this volume should stand as a signpost for future scholars to delve into a surprisingly important life.—Peter Herbert, Dvorak Society Newsletter
Die Herausgeber Hartl und Entwistle trugen eine Reihe von Gelehrten aus den USA, Kanada und der Tschechischen Republik zusammen, deren Beiträge eine aussagestarke Vielfalt abdecken, die für Kaprálová und ihre Zeit charakteristisch sind. Herausgekommen ist eine Publikation, die sowohl Startpunkt für Wissenschafter und Musikliebhaber ins Thema ist, als auch kritische Essays enthält, die zum Nachdenken anregen.—VivaVoce
Kniha je výsledkem bádání prevážne zahranicních odborníku, Vítezslava Kaprálová se tak dostala mezi ty nemnohé ceské skladatele, o nichž vyšly monografie v cizím jazyce, a to nejen monografie preložené z puvodní ceské predlohy, ale sepsané v cizine, tedy Dvoráka, Janácka a Martinu. Kniha byla velmi kladne hodnocena svetovými recenzenty, v Cesku byla navržena na Cenu F. X. Šaldy, která je udelovaná mimo jiné za mimorádné edicní pociny.—Monika Hola, Opus Musicum
Vítezslava Kaprálová’s music is beautiful, haunting, and distinct, and deserves to be heard more frequently on concert hall stages across the U.S. One hopes that this long-awaited and superbly-written book will provide inspiration and motivation to those who are interested in learning more about this composer.—Michelle Latour, Journal of the IAWM
Published by Lexington Books in 2011. xi, 228 pp. ISBN 978-0-7391-6723-6 (cloth)—ISBN 978-0-7391-6724-3 (electronic).