Několik poznámek k České moderní hudbě Vladimíra Helferta

Abstract

The study comments on the book of Vladimir Helfert Czech modern music (1936). At the time of its release, the book met with a rather great interest of the wider, music loving, public. Until that time there was no local synthetic work concentrated on the newer and present production which largely coincided with cultural history of the new State. In this regard the book had a groundbreaking role because for the first generations of readers it could be and perhaps, against the original intention of the author, was a clear guide of the current production. In time this utility value was necessarily lost and its significance was exceeded by current guide books, music dictionaries and extensive synthetic works. There is nothing surprising on the fact that some of the ideas become obsolete over time. This applies double for the data that are being improved over time and then put into new contexts. If we focus our attention only on the informational value, we necessarily push everything else into the background. Despite some inaccuracies and misleading information Helfert's work still preserved its importance. The reason is obvious. In addition to the influx of rich material, the book opens inspirational methodological perspective on the inspected subject.

Keywords

• Vladimír Helfert
• Czech modern music
• Czech musicology
• musical thinking