Marta Kubišová facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marta Kubišová
Kubišová in 2009
Background information
Born	(1942-11-01) 1 November 1942 (age 82) České Budějovice, Bohemia and Moravia (now Czech Republic)
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1961–2017
Labels	Supraphon
Associated acts	The Golden Kids

Marta Kubišová (born November 1, 1942) is a famous Czech singer. She became one of the most popular female singers in Czechoslovakia. This was especially true around 1968, during a time called the Prague Spring. Her song "Modlitba pro Martu" ("A Prayer for Marta") became very important then.

In 1967, she won the Zlatý slavík award, which means "Golden Nightingale." Her song "Prayer for Marta" became a symbol of national strength. It showed how people felt against the troops who came into Czechoslovakia in 1968. During the Prague Spring, she recorded over 200 single records and one album. This album was called Songy a Balady (Songs and Ballads) and came out in 1969. However, it was quickly removed from stores.

In 1970, the government made false claims against her. They said she had made inappropriate photographs. Because of this, she was not allowed to perform in the country until 1989. In 1971, she helped with the music for a movie called The Girl on a Broomstick. She also signed a special paper called Charter 77. This paper asked for human rights. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, her first albums were a new release of Songy a Balady and a collection of her old songs called Lampa.

Biography

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Marta Kubišová was born on November 1, 1942, in České Budějovice. Her father was a heart doctor. Her mother was a homemaker who later sold records in Prague. In 1952, her family moved to Poděbrady.

After finishing high school, Marta wanted to go to college. She started working in a glass factory in Poděbrady. Her singing career began with a dance group. They performed at afternoon events in Nymburk. In 1961, she reached the finals of a TV show called Hledáme nové talenty ("The Search for Talent").

In 1962, she lost her job at the glass factory. She then tried out for the Stop Theatre in Pardubice. In 1963, she moved to Theatre Alpha in Plzeň. There, she performed in a play called Black Dream.

Rising to Fame

Marta started working with two other singers, Václav Neckář and Helena Vondráčková, in December 1965. They were getting ready for a show called Waiting for Fame. In 1967, she won the Zlatý slavík award.

Her song, "Prayer for Marta," became a very important symbol. It showed how people felt against the troops who came into Czechoslovakia in 1968. On November 1, 1968, she joined Neckář and Vondráčková. They formed a popular music group called 'Golden Kids'.

In 1969, she won her second Zlatý slavík award. She also married film director Jan Němec. A year later, she won the Zlatý slavík for a third time. However, she had to receive the award secretly. This was because a difficult time called normalization was starting. The Golden Kids group had their last performance on January 27, 1970.

Facing Challenges and Speaking Out

In February 1970, the government stopped her from performing. They used three fake photo pictures as proof. They claimed she had made inappropriate photographs. Marta took the director of the record company Supraphon to court. She won the case, but her rights were not fully given back until 20 years later. This was after the communist government in Czechoslovakia ended in 1989.

During this time, she could only perform at private events. These events were by invitation only. In the late 1980s, she tried out to be a singer for the group The Plastic People of the Universe. But the secret police stopped this from happening.

In 1971, she became very ill. She later married director Jan Moravec. This was after she divorced her first husband, Jan Nemec, who had moved to the United States. After she signed Charter 77, the communist secret police watched her even more closely. From 1977 to 1978, she was a spokesperson for Charter 77. This meant she spoke for the group.

Return to Public Life and Recognition

On June 1, 1979, Marta gave birth to her daughter, Kateřina. On December 10, 1988, after a long time away from the public, she appeared at a protest. This was for the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. During this event, she sang the Czechoslovak national anthem.

On November 22, 1989, during the Velvet Revolution, she sang "Prayer for Marta" and the national anthem. She sang from a balcony on Wenceslas Square. After this, her album Songy a Balady was re-released. In 1990, she started recording and performing again.

On June 2, 1990, she performed a famous show called "Marta v Lucerně." For this show, she was given the Golden Nightingale award she had won in 1970. She then went on tour with the band Energit. They performed 60 concerts in Czechoslovakia. They also had shows in Japan, Paris, and Berlin.

In 1991, she helped host Advent concerts. Two years later, she joined Vondráčková and Neckář again for a Golden Kids comeback. On October 28, 1995, she received a state award. It was the Medal of Merit from President Václav Havel. A book about her life, Chytat slunce (Catching the Sun), was published in 1995.

On March 7, 1998, she received the Honorary Medal of T.G. Masaryk. This was at a ceremony in Prague Castle. In October 2002, she was given the St. Wenceslas Honours. Three years later, her second book, Asi to tak sám Bůh chtěl, was published.

For several years, she regularly performed at the Prague Ungelt Theatre. She also appeared in a musical there and won an award for her performance. In 2005, she released a new album called Vítej, lásko. In 2008, her first DVD was released.

In 2011, a play about Marta Kubišová's life was performed in Poland. On January 1, 2018, she received another state award. It was the Order of the White Double Cross from the President of Slovakia, Andrej Kiska.

Discography

Golden Kids

• Micro Magic Circus (Supraphon, 1969)
• Golden Kids 1 (Supraphon, 1970)

Solo

• Songy a balady (1969, 1990, 1996)
• Lampa (1990)
• Někdy si zpívám (1991)
• Songy a nálady (1993)
• Řeka vůni (1995)
• Singly 1 (1996)
• Bůh ví (1996)
• Nehte zvony znít (Singly 2) (1997)
• Dejte mi kousek louky (Singly 3) (1998)
• Modlitba (Singly 4) (1999)
• Marta Kubišova v Ungeltu (1999)
• Tajga Blues (Singly 5) (2000)
• Já jsem já (2004)
• Vítej, lásko (2005)
• In my world
• Vyznaní (2010)
• Touha jménem Einodis (2013)
• Magický hlas rebelky (2014)
• Soul (2016)

Films and TV

• Pátrání po Ester (2005)
• Kameňák 2 (2004)
• Zdivočelá země II (2001)
• Zpověď Ungelt (2000)
• Noční hovory s matkou (1999)
• Stalo se na podzim (1994)
• Hodnota tváře (1992)
• Zvláštní bytosti (1990)
• Dívka na Koštěti (1971) (arranger)
• Vražda ing. Čerta (1970)
• Proudy lásku odnesou (1969) (TV)
• Bylo čtvrt a bude půl (1968)
• Kulhavý ďábel (1968)
• Gramo / Hit 68 (1968) (TV)
• Náhrdelník melancholie - Sedm písní Marty Kubišové (1968)
• Jak se krade milión (1967)
• Píseň pro Rudolfa III. (1967)
• Mučedníci lásky (1966)
• Vysílá studio A (1966)
• Revue v mlze (1966)

See also

In Spanish: Marta Kubišová para niños