"During my school years, it sometimes happened that instead of going to class I disappeared somewhere in the nearby fields and forests... I have never lost this impulsive love for nature, and I consider the moments spent in nature my most beautiful. In nature I find much inspiration for my music, and it is here where the intimate character of my music originates."
From Kapral's lecture-recital in Ostrava in 1942. Quoted in Popelka, 1977, 43. Translation © Karla Hartl.

".. I took it as my sole responsibility to take care of all matters that concern Vitulka,¹ whatever the cost, because Vitulka was, has been, and always will be the main reason for living the rest of my days, the meaning of the life that I still have. That is why I want to be solely responsible for everything, needless to say that I dwell neither on comfort nor money, as they have no value for me. And should hunger and illness come in the old age, be it, I will take them gladly, because once I had this great happiness in my life, because I had Vitulka. It is she of whom I think constantly, in sadness and in happiness."
From Kapral's letter to his wife Viktoria, dated June 5, 1946.

¹ Vitulka is a diminutive form of the name Vitezslava, Kapral's daughter who died in 1940.

Vaclav Kapral studied composition under Leos Janacek (Brno, 1907-1910) and Vitezslav Novak (Prague, 1919-1920). He also studied piano interpretation method with Marie Kuhlova (Brno, 1903-1907), Adolf Miks (Prague, 1919-1920), Klara Schäferova (Brno, 1920-1922), and Alfred Cortot (Paris, 1923, 1924). In 1911, he founded his own private music school, and for a number of years, he had been in a great demand as piano teacher.

In 1913, Vaclav Kapral married classically trained singer Viktorie Uhlirova, and in 1915, their first and only child, Vitezslava, was born. In 1921, their marriage broke down, and two years later, the couple separated but continued taking joint care of Vitezslava who was to become one of the most important Czech composers of her generation.

During the years 1922-1930, Kapral devoted much of his time to concert performances of music for two pianos, together with prof. Ludvik Kundera, his friend and later also a colleague at the Brno Conservatory. The two were instrumental in founding the Moravian Composers' Club in Brno in 1922.¹ During the years 1919-1928, Kapral was also active as choirmaster, lecturer and music theoretician and critic. He had written numerous reviews and articles for Rovnost (1920-1922), Venkov (1922-1924), and Hudebni rozhledy (1924-1928). He also authored several entries in Gracian Cernusak's Dictionary of Music and edited several works by old Czech masters (Benda, Vorisek) for Vladimir Helfert's Musica antiqua bohemica.

In 1927, Kapral was appointed lecturer at the Masaryk University of Brno. In 1935, he was appointed professor of composition at the Brno Conservatory and elected a member of the Czech Academy of Arts and Sciences. A year later, he was elected Vice-Chairman of Czech Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music. In the fall of 1942, Kapral was arrested by Gestapo and until the spring of 1945 imprisoned in the internment camp Svatoborice near Kyjov. After the war, he was elected the first chairman of the Syndicate of Czechoslovak Composers, but his health was already failing and he died the following year.

Orchestral Music

Svatebni pochod | Wedding March. Large orchestra (1923)
Dve idylky | Two Idylls. Orchestra (1931)
Smutecni fanfary | Fanfares. Brass orchestra (1945)

Chamber Music

String Quartet in C Minor (1925)
String Quartet No. 2 with Baritone Solo, on text by R. Bojko. Voice and string quartet (1927)
Pisen podzimu | Autumn Song. Voice and string quartet (1929)
Balada | Ballad. Violoncello and piano (1946)

Piano Music

Lyrica. Piano cycle (Listek do pamatniku, Pisen sirotkova, Mazurka, Tanecek, Preludium, Pisen vecera, Radostne chvile, Valse Caprice). Piano (1907-1915)
Sonata I in C Major. Piano (1912)
Nocturno. Piano (1915)
Ukolebavky jara | Berceuses de Printemps. Piano (1916-1917). Dedicated to his little daughter Vitezslava.
Suita Romantica. Piano (1918)
Sonata II. Piano (1921). In memory of Hugo Mrazek.
Miniatures. Piano (1922)
Sonata III. Piano (1924)
Con duolo, piano cycle for left hand. Piano (1926)
Radostne chvile | Moments of Joy. Piano (1927)
Sonatina. Piano (1930)
Fantazie in Eb Major. Piano (1934)
Dumka. Piano (1936)
Sonatina Bucolica. Piano (1936)
Menculske strane volaji. Piano (1938)
Sedlcky. Moravian dance for piano. Piano (1938)
Sonata IV. Piano (1939)
Dve vzpominky | Two Reminiscences. Piano (1940). Dedicated his daughter Vitezslava.
Predtucha | Premonition. Piano (June 1940) In the memory of his daughter Vitezslava
Sonatina II "Hradistska idyla" | Idyll of Uherske Hradiste. Piano (1943-44)

Vocal Music

Nocturneta. Four songs for middle voice and piano (1911)
Sadila fialenku v poli. Men's Choir (1911)
Dva proste motivy | Two Simple Motifs. Two songs for voice and piano (1910-1913)
Dedikace | Dedication. Voice and piano (1917)
Modlitba | Prayer. Original title: "Obet pisni" (Songs of Sacrifice). Men's Choir (1917)
Ticho | Silence. Voice and piano (1918-1919)
Sen zimniho vecera | Dream of a Winter Night. Voice and piano (1918-1919)
Ukolebavka | Lullaby. Women's choir (1920)
Pro ni | For Her. Four songs for voice, piano and three violins (1927). Dedicated to Otylka Humlova.
Pisen jarni | Spring Song. Men's choir (1931)
Zdravice | Greetings. Mixed choir (1932)
Pout sv. Antonina. Men's choir (1932)
Uspavanky | Lullabies. Middle voice and chamber orchestra (1932-1933)
Touha | Longing, for low voice. Voice and piano (1936)
Ledove kvety | Frost Painting. Men's choir (1942)
Hana zpiva | The Hana Region Sings. Mixed choir (1942)
Milodejne kviti. Four songs for two women's voices and piano (1942). In the memory of Vitezslava Kapralova.
Ceska mse Svatoboricka | Czech Mass of Svatoborice. Mixed choir and organ (1943)
Svatoboricke lidove pisne | Folk Songs of Svatoborice. Arrangements of folk songs. Men's and women's choirs (1943)
Bez rozlouceni | Without Saying Goodbye. Women's choir (1944)
Javorina. Men's choir (1944)
Beroun. Voice and piano (1944)
Korycany. Men's choir (1945)

The above manuscripts are available from the Moravian Museum of Brno

Published Scores

Lyrica. Piano cycle [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1930]
Sonata I. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1922]
Dva proste motivy. Voice and piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1930]
Nocturno. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1932]
Berceuses de Printemps. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1924]. Ukolebavka jara No. 4 [in: Vaclav Kapral: Lyricke miniatury. Editio Supraphon: Praha 1977]
Dedikace. Voice and piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1931]
Suita romantica. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1928]
Ticho. Voice and piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1931]
Sonata II. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1924]
Ukolebavka. Women's choir [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1931]
Miniatures. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1924]. Miniatura No. 3 [in: Vaclav Kapral: Lyricke miniatury. Editio Supraphon: Praha 1977]
Svatebni pochod (piano reduction). Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1923]
Sonata III. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1932]
String Quartet in C Minor [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1931]
Pro ni. Voice, piano, and three violins [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1938]
String Quartet No. 2. Baritone and string quartet [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1931]
Pisen podzimu. Voice and string quartet [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1940]
Sonatina. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1932]
Uspavanky. Voice and chamber orchestra [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1935]
Fantazie in E Fb Major. Piano [HMUB: Prague 1948]
Dumka. Piano [In: Moravsti skladatele mladezi. Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1936. Reprinted in: Vaclav Kapral: Lyricke miniatury. Editio Supraphon: Praha 1977]
Sonatina Bucolica. Piano [in: Klavir 1937. HMUB: Prague 1937. Reprinted in: Vaclav Kapral: Lyricke miniatury. Editio Supraphon: Praha 1977]
Menculske strane volaji. Piano [Lidove noviny, 1938]
Moravian Dance "Sedlcky". Piano [In: Ceske a moravske tance. Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1938. Reprinted in: Vaclav Kapral: Lyricke miniatury. Editio Supraphon: Praha 1977]
Sonata IV. Piano [Old. Pazdirek: Brno 1940. 2nd movement "Allegretto semplice" reprinted in: Vaclav Kapral: Lyricke miniatury. Editio Supraphon: Praha 1977]
Three Piano Pieces (Two Reminiscences for Piano, Premonition). Piano [Svoboda: Prague 1947. Reminiscence No. 2 reprinted in: Vaclav Kapral: Lyricke miniatury. Editio Supraphon: Praha 1977]
Milodejne kviti. Two women's voices and piano [HMUB: Prague 1950]
Svatoboricke lidove pisne. Arrangement of folk songs for men's and women's choirs [HMUB: Prague 1946]
Bez rozlouceni. Women's choir [Svoboda: Prague 1947]
Sonatina. Piano [Orbis: Prague 1951. Reprinted in: Vaclav Kapral: Lyricke miniatury. Editio Supraphon: Praha 1977]

Bibliography

Barvik, Miroslav: "Vaclav Kapral - ucitel". Rytmus, 5-6 (1946): 6-7.
Barinkova, Jarmila. "Nekolik pohledu na Vaclava Kaprala." Stafeta 4 (1975): 9-11.
Bednarova, Vera. "O rodicich Vitezslavy Kapralove." Kulturni zpravy 4 (1992): 27.
Bednarova, Vera. "Rodinny kruh Vaclava Kaprala." Stafeta 2 (1979): 7-9.
Chlubna, Osvald. "Vzpominka na Vaclava Kaprala." Hudebni rozhledy 7 (1957): 302.
Chmel, Zdenek. Galerie brnenskych osobnosti: 1. A-K. Brno: ANTE, 1998.
Culik, Frantisek. "Vzpominka na Svatoborice." Kulturni zpravy 10 (1992): 7.
Fukac, Jiri. "Brnenska konzervator a moravsti skladatele." Sbornik k padesatemu vyroci trvani prvni moravske odborne umelecke skoly. Brno: Konzervator Brno, 1969. Pp. 7-8. Online (as of December 15, 2003): http://www.konzervatorbrno.cz/stred/skola/historie/fukac.htm
Fukac, Jiri. "V. Kapral kritikem Rovnosti." Rovnost (26.3.1964).
Helfert, Vladimir. "Ceska moderni hudba." In: O hudebni tvorivosti. Praha: Editio Supraphon, 1970. Pp. 266-7.
Jurman, Hynek. Ozveny vysociny: 7. dil. Pisnicky nasich strani. Stepanov, 1993.
Kundera, Ludvik. "Kapraluv smyccovy kvartet." Hudebni rozhledy 7 (1926): 106.
Kundera, Ludvik. "Klavirni dilo Vaclava Kaprala." Rytmus (1947): 91.
Kundera, Ludvik. "Odesel Vaclav Kapral." Tempo 8 (1946-47): 241-2.
Kundera, Ludvik. Vaclav Kapral. Brno: Blok, 1968.
Kundera, Ludvik. "Vaclav Kapral." Tempo 9-10 (1929-30): 318.
Kux, Jan. "Fragment ze zivota skladatele a hudebniho publicisty Vaclava Kaprala." Opus Musicum 2 (1997): 49-54.
Laznicka, Miloslav. Hradistska idyla Vaclava Kaprala. Uherske Hradiste: Cesky svaz protifastickych bojovniku, 1988.
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Pecman, Rudolf. "Pocta Vaclavu Kapralovi." Zpravodaj Kruhu pratel hudby v Brne, 5 (1989): 1-5.
Pecman, Rudolf. Prameny hudby dneska. Hrst kapitol. Brno: Koncertni oddeleni Parku kultury a oddechu, 1989.
Popelka, Isa. Vaclav Kapral. Praha: Editio Supraphon, 1977.
Racek, Jan. "Za Vaclavem Kapralem." Divadelni list Narodniho divadla v Brne (13.5.1947): 431.
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Discography and Videography

Bez rozlouceni. Women's choir. VSMU with Bretislav Bakala [cond.]. LP recording. Ultraphon 14866.
Uspavanky. Voice and chamber orchestra. J. Wysoczanska [voice] and Brno Philharmonic with Bretislav Bakala [cond.]. LP recording (1956). Supraphon DM 5487.
Ukolebavka. CD recording. In: Ave Maria: Famous Sacred Choral Works. Bambini di Praga. MULTISONIC 31 0163-2 (Czech Republic). Also in: After Hours Classics, Vol. 4-Adagio. CAMERATA (JAP).
Berceuses de Printemps. Piano. Video recording, Czech Television (Studio Brno), 1990.
Lyrica. CD recording. Bleriot CL 002/1-2.
Nocturno. CD recording. In "Srdce na Vysocine". Tomas Visek, 2001.