Bohuslav Martinů

Bohuslav Martinů (Czech: [ˈboɦuslaf ˈmartjɪnuː]; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a prolific Czech composer of modern classical music. Martinů wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. Martinů became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and taught music in his home town. In 1923 Martinů left Czechoslovakia for Paris, and deliberately withdrew from the Romantic style in which he had been trained. In the 1930s he experimented with expressionism and constructivism, and became an admirer of current European technical developments, exemplified by his orchestral works Half-time and La Bagarre. He also adopted jazz idioms, for instance in his Kuchyňské revue ("Kitchen Revue").

In the early 1930s he found his main font for compositional style, the neo-classical as developed by Stravinsky. With this, he expanded to become a prolific composer, composing chamber, orchestral, choral and instrumental works at a fast rate. His use of the piano obbligato became his signature. His Concerto Grosso and the Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani are among his best known works from this period. Among his operas, Julietta and The Greek Passion are considered the finest. He is compared with Prokofiev and Bartók in his innovative incorporation of Central European ethnomusicology into his music. He continued to use Bohemian and Moravian folk melodies throughout his oeuvre, usually nursery rhymes—for instance in Otvírání studánek ("The Opening of the Wells").

Bohuslav

Bohuslav (Cyrillic: Богуслав) is a city of district significance on the Ros River in Kiev Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Bohuslav Raion. Population: 16,825 (2013 est.). The population in 2001 was 17,135.

It is known as Boslov by some of its Yiddish speaking residents and Boguslav (by the Russophones). Prominent Americans who trace their family roots to Bohuslav include the late Congressman Herman Toll (1907–1967), who emigrated from the region with his family around 1910, and his nephews Robert (Bob) and Bruce Toll, founders of publicly traded homebuilder Toll Brothers.

Brief description

The city's year of establishment and source of name is uncertain. It is mentioned by Hypatian Codex as earlier as 1032 which is assumed as the year of establishment. In official documents it is mentioned as earlier as 1195 when Bohuslavl was handed over by the Grand Prince of Kiev Rurik II to the Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal Vsevolod III who preceded him on Kievan throne several years earlier.