Elena Petrová facts for kids

Elena Petrová (born November 9, 1929 – died April 10, 2002) was a very talented Czech composer. She was born in a town called Modrý Kameň. Elena loved music from a young age. She studied piano and learned how to compose music at the Janáček Academy of Music. Her teachers were well-known composers like Jan Kapr and Miloslav Istvan. After finishing her studies, Elena Petrová shared her musical knowledge. She taught music theory at the Charles University in Prague. She helped many students understand how music works.

Elena Petrová's Music

Elena Petrová wrote many different kinds of music. She composed pieces for large orchestras and small groups of instruments. She also wrote music for the stage, like ballets and operas. Her works included songs for singers and music for television and radio shows. Here are some of her important pieces:

Music for the Stage

These are pieces written for performances, like ballets or operas. Ballets tell a story through dance, and operas tell a story through singing.

• Slavík a růže (The Nightingale and the Rose), a ballet based on a story by Oscar Wilde (1969)
• Podivuhodná raketa (The Remarkable Rocket), another ballet inspired by Oscar Wilde (1970)
• Slunečnice (Sunflower), a ballet based on stories by Ovid (1973)
• Kdyby se slunce nevrátilo (Should the Sun Not Return), a six-act opera (a long musical play) (1982–1983)

Orchestral Music

This music is written for a full orchestra. An orchestra is a large group of musicians playing many different instruments together.

• Symphony No. 1 (1968)
• Slavnostní předehra (Festive Overture) (1975)
• Symphony No. 2 (1976)
• Smutecní hudba (Mourning Music) (1981)
• Passacaglia (1982)
• Slavnostní hudba (Festive Music) (1982)
• Symphony No. 3 (1990)
• Longing Odysseus

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments. It's like a musical conversation between a few musicians.

• Eklogy (Eclogues) for bass clarinet (1965)
• String Quartet No. 1 (1965) - A string quartet is usually two violins, a viola, and a cello.
• Sonata for viola and piano (1966)
• String Quartet No. 2 (1967) - This piece won a prize in Philadelphia in 1968!
• Invokace (Invocation) for bass clarinet and piano (1972)
• Pantomima (Pantomime) for viola d'amore solo (1973)
• Capricci for bass clarinet and piano (1991)
• String Quartet No. 3 (1991)
• Capriccia (Capriccios) for bass clarinet and percussion (1992)
• Čarování (Sortilegio) for flute, piano and percussion (1997)
• Mýty (Myths), 4 Pieces for flute solo (1998)
• Sonata for violin and piano

Keyboard Music

This music is written for instruments with a keyboard, like the piano or organ.

• Sonata No. 1 for piano (1960)
• Inspirace (Inspirations) for piano 4-hands (1973) - This means two people play on one piano! It won a prize in Denver in 1975.
• Impromptus I. (Impromptu No. 1) for piano (1976)
• Preludium a passacaglia (Prelude and Passacaglia) for organ (1980)
• Impromptus II. (Impromptu No. 2) for piano (1991)
• Sonata No. 2 for piano (1992)
• Čtyři impromptus (4 Impromptus) for piano (1996)
• Preludia (Preludes) for piano

Vocal Music

Vocal music is written for singers, sometimes with instruments or a choir.

• Písně o čase (Songs about Time) for baritone (a male singing voice) and piano (1958)
• Madrigaly "Catulli liber carminum", Madrigals for mixed chamber chorus (1966, revised 1976) - Madrigals are a type of vocal music, usually without instruments.
• Noci (To the Night), Cantata for tenor (a male singing voice), mixed chorus, and orchestra (1968); with words by Vítězslav Nezval
• Pět slovenských písní (5 Slovak Songs) for men's choir (1969)
• Vzývání (Invocation), Song Cycle for male chamber chorus (1977); with words written by Elena Petrová herself!
• Tanbakzan, Melodrama for speaker and chamber chorus (1981)
• Komedie dell'arte for voice and piano (1991)
• Sluneční sonáta (Sunny Sonata) for soprano (a female singing voice) and piano (1992)
• Nářek královny Ningal (Mourning of Queen Ningal) for soprano and chamber chorus (1992)
• Oranžové vánky (Orange Breezes), Song Cycle for baritone and piano (2000); with words by Federico García Lorca
• Akvarely (Watercolours), Song Cycle for men's choir
• Písně starého měsíce (Songs of an Old Moon) for soprano and chamber orchestra
• Žluté balady (Yellow Ballads) for voice and piano