Ludvík Kundera (musicologist)

Ludvík Kundera (born 17 August 1891 in Brno, died 12 May 1971 in Brno) was a Czech musicologist, pianist and academic administrator.

Kundera was born in Brno, Královo Pole as the youngest of seven siblings in a family which supported his passion for music from early childhood. He studied at German gymnasium and piano playing under Klotylda Schäfrová. His first public performance took place in 1912, with compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Robert Schumann, Bedřich Smetana and Franz Liszt.

During World War I, he served in the Czechoslovak Legion. He enlisted on 14 July 1914 and was assigned to the 8th Infantry Regiment operating in Sibiu, Transylvania. He was captured by Russians in 1915 and on 1 August 1916 he joined the Czechoslovak Legion in Russia. During his stay in Russia, he became familiar with the cultural life of the country and occasionally he organized and performed on public concertos. In June, 1920, he travelled from Vladivostok to Terst and later back to the Czechoslovakia.

In 1925, he attended the masterclasses of Alfred Cortot at the École Normale de Musique in Paris. He also continued his studies in Vienna and Prague and earned a doctorate in musicology from Brno University in 1925. He taught at Brno Conservatory from 1922 to 1941 (until his removal by the Nazi authorities occupying Czechoslovakia) and at Brno Academy JAMU from 1948 to 1950. From 1945 to 1946 he was directory of the Brno Conservatory. From 1946 to 1948 he was head of the music department of the Education Faculty of the Charles University in Prague. He was rector of JAMU from 1 October 1948 until his retirement in 1962. As a pianist he concertized widely both at home and abroad, performing both as a soloist and in chamber music groups and often promoting the music of Czech composers. As a musicologist he is perhaps best known for his analyses of the works of Leoš Janáček. He was the father of the writer Milan Kundera and uncle of the writer Ludvík Kundera.

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