Václav Emanuel Horák

Václav ( Wenceslas ) Emanuel Horák ( born January 1, 1800 Lobeč; † September 3, 1871 in Prague) was a Czech composer, church musician and educator.

Life

Horák visited from 1813, the high school in Prague and worked next as a choirboy and later as Choralist at the St. Nicholas Church in Prague's Lesser Town. At the University of Prague he first studied philosophy and later jurisprudence. However, the desire to start at Johann Wenzel Tomaschek a musical education, he was denied for financial reasons. Only later he became a pupil of Friedrich Dionys Weber and Johann August Wittassek. In 1830 Horák was organist at Prague's Trinity Church and shortly afterwards a teacher at the Prague Organ School. In 1833 he became organist at the Tyn Church, 1837 choir director at the Franciscan church Maria Schnee and 1853 choirmaster at the Church of St. Wojciech. 1859, the leadership of the church music he was transferred to the Tyn Church. He was an honorary member of many associations and academies, including the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Work

Horák is stylistically attributable still the classic, probably based this on the lasting influence of his teachers and Weber Wittasek, which in turn were heavily influenced by Mozart. His sacred works - twelve masses, a requiem, a passion, motets and hymns - were widespread in his lifetime and are still performed today. He also published two singing schools and wrote a treatise On the ambiguity of the chords.