Jaromír Vejvoda facts for kids
Jaromír Vejvoda (born March 28, 1902 – died November 13, 1988) was a famous Czech composer. He is best known for writing the popular song called "Beer Barrel Polka". This tune became famous all over the world!
Jaromír Vejvoda's Musical Journey
Jaromír Vejvoda was born and passed away in Prague-Zbraslav, a part of the Czech Republic. From 1936 to 1960, he lived in Vrané nad Vltavou. He moved there after marrying Božena Zamrazilová, who was from that town.
Jaromír learned to play music from a young age. He played the fiddle and flugelhorn in a band led by his father. Later, he played these instruments in a military band. He started writing his own music in the 1920s. At that time, he worked as a bartender in a pub owned by his father-in-law.
In 1929, he wrote a song called Modřanská polka. It was named after Modřany, a suburb of Prague, where it was first played. This catchy song quickly became a big hit! Its success allowed Vejvoda to become a full-time professional musician and composer.
The song was officially published in 1934 with Czech lyrics. The words were Škoda lásky, kterou jsem tobě dala... (which means "It's a pity about the love I gave you..."). Just before World War II, a publishing company called Shapiro Bernstein bought the rights to the song.
The polka then became known as the "Beer Barrel Polka" with new English lyrics, "Roll out the barrel...". This version became one of the most popular songs for the Allies in the West during the war. It's interesting because the original Czech lyrics had a very different meaning and were not about beer at all! After the war, this polka became popular worldwide. In German-speaking countries, it was known as "Rosamunde".
Vejvoda wrote many other popular songs. Some of these include Kdyby ty muziky nebyly ("If those bands did not exist") and Já ráda tancuju ("I love to dance"). However, none of these became as famous outside of the Czech and German-speaking countries as the "Beer Barrel Polka".
Jaromír Vejvoda had three sons: Jaromír, Jiří, and Josef. His son Josef has continued the family's musical tradition. He is also a musician, composer, and bandleader. Jaromír's granddaughter, Zuzana, is a musical actress.
Beer Barrel Polka in Movies
The "Beer Barrel Polka" has been featured in many films over the years. Here are some of them:
- At the Circus (1939, USA)
- La Paloma – Große Freiheit Nr. 7 (1943, Germany)
- The Human Comedy (1943, USA)
- A Night in Casablanca (1946, USA)
- The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, USA)
- The Captive Heart (1946, UK)
- The Cruel Sea (1953, UK)
- From Here to Eternity (1953, USA)
- Ročník 21 ("Born in '21", 1957, Czech)
- Sudba cheloveka ("Destiny of a Man" or "Fate of a Man", 1959, USSR)
- The Longest Day (1962, USA)
- Atentát ("The Assassination", 1964, Czech)
- La communale ("Public School", 1965, France)
- Nebeští jezdci ("Riders in the Sky", 1968, Czech)
- Место встречи изменить нельзя (The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed 1979, USSR)
- The Pokrovsky Gate (1982, USSR)
- M*A*S*H (1972 to 1983, USA)
- Bitva za Moskvu (1985, USSR)
- Brewster's Millions (1985, USA)
- Born in East L.A. (sang as Rosamunde-Polka)(1987, USA)
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988, USA)
- The Elementary School (1991, Czechoslovakia)
- Roommates (1995, USA)
- A Walk in the Clouds (1995, USA)
- In Love and War (1996, USA)
- Jakob the Liar (1999, USA)
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022, USA)
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022, USA)
Hearing the Beer Barrel Polka
In 1954, John Serry Sr. performed the "Beer Barrel Polka" for accordion and ensemble. This recording was made for RCA Victor (you can find it in RCA Thesaurus).
