Jaroslav Kocián

Jaroslav Kocian (born 22 February 1883 in Wildenschwert, Bohemia, † March 8, 1950 ) was a Czech violin teacher and composer.

Life

Jaroslav Kocian received the first basics of playing the violin from his father, the violin teacher Julius Kocian. Further studies he made from 1896 to 1901 at the Prague Conservatory, at Otakar Ševčík (violin) and Antonín Dvořák (composition). In 1908 he was for two years a professor at the Conservatory of Odessa and was leader of the local string quartet. He placed the highest demands on the pianist, who were his chamber music partner, he was himself an accomplished pianist.

After more than two decades of successful career as an international violin virtuoso throughout Europe and the United States, 1921 he was awarded the post of Assistant Ševčíks in Prague. In 1924 he was appointed professor at the Master School of the Conservatory, where he taught until 1943. Meanwhile, in the years 1939 and 1940 he was rector of the Conservatory.

His home town of Ústí nad Orlicí, awarded him the honorary citizen title since 1959 and named for him in a competition for young violinists place there, instead of every year.

Work

Many of his works have been performed by his student Josef Suk and recorded on tape. Relatively few of his surviving manuscripts in compositions for violin and piano was previously postponed. Besides these works Kocian wrote many songs and chants, he also edited works by other composers for violin and piano, such as Dvořák ( Waltz op.54 ) and Josef Suk ( love song ). Together with his father published a violin Kocian school for beginners Počátky hry na housle.