Jan Rychlík

Jan Rychlík (27 April 1916 – 20 January 1964) was a Czech composer and music theorist. He was one of the most important exponents of the Czech New Music in the 1950s and 1960s.

Rychlik was born and died in Prague. His parents wanted him to study economics, but he was attracted by the music and foreign languages from an early age. In 1939, during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia he began to study at the Prague Conservatory. Later he became a pupil of Jaroslav Řídký, and in 1946 he graduated from the Master School of Composition in Prague.

He collaborated with the Gramoklub Orchestra and he also played drums with the early Karel Vlach Orchestra. In addition to his drumming abilities he was an excellent pianist, and he played also some other instruments.

At the beginning of his career he composed mainly popular dance songs, however, in 1943 he has created first chamber compositions, such as Sonatine for Clarinet and Piano and Sonatine for Piano. Shortly afterwards he focused also on orchestral compositions.

Following the World War II he devoted himself mainly to the film music. He composed the score for the well-known musical comedy Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera. Some of the songs from the film became evergreens ("Arizona" and "So far"). He is also known as the author of the music for the French film La Création du Monde by Jean Effel.

Jan Rychlík died at a young age, he was 48. Following his death, Czech composer Otmar Mácha composed a funeral composition Variations to the theme and death of Jan Rychlík for symphonic orchestra.

Rychlíks music output has two different poles, similarly as the works of Jaroslav Ježek and Erwin Schulhoff. In his early works he was inspired mainly by jazz and swing music. In the post-war years he developed the original "art music technique", which he applied mainly in his chamber compositions. He asserted himself also as a film composer. In his last creative period he achieved highly original musical expression using some elements of the post-war music avant-garde and the Second Viennese School.

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