- Bohuslav Martinu was born on December 8, 1890 in Politschka, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Policka, Czech Republic]. He was a composer and writer, known for Giorgino (1994), Our History (1984) and Invasion of the Blood Farmers (1972). He was married to Charlotte Léonie Victorine Quennehen. He died on August 28, 1959 in Liestal, near Basel, Switzerland.
- SpouseCharlotte Léonie Victorine Quennehen(1931 - August 28, 1959) (his death)
- There have been many discussions about Martinu's personality, manners and possible Asperger syndrome. Frank James Rybka promoted the idea that Martinu suffered from this kind of autism spectrum disorder.
- Martinu returned to live in Europe for two years starting in 1953, then was back in New York until returning to Europe in May 1956.
- One of Martinu's lesser known works features the theremin. Martinu started working on his Fantasia for theremin, oboe, string quartet and piano in the summer of 1944, and finished it on October 1. He dedicated it to Lucie Bigelow Rosen, who had commissioned it and was the theremin soloist at its premiere at New York's Town Hall on 3 November 1945, joined by the Koutzen Quartet, Robert Bloom (oboe), and Carlos Salzedo (piano).
- A characteristic feature of his orchestral writing is the near-omnipresent piano; many of his orchestral works include a prominent part for piano, including his small Concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra.
- His opera The Greek Passion is based on the novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis, and his orchestral work Memorial to Lidice (Památník Lidicím) was written in remembrance of the village of Lidice that was destroyed by the Nazis in reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in the late spring of 1942. It was completed in August 1943 whilst he was in New York, and premiered there in October of that year.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
