ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title>15th International Organ Festival - JiYí ROPEK</title> <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1250"> <link rel=stylesheet type="text/css" href="aostyl.css"> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" leftmargin="10" topmargin="10" marginwidth="10" marginheight="10"> <!-- Obsah - 1 sloupec --> <table width="724" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr> <td width=74 bgcolor="#cc9900">&nbsp;</td> <td width=20>&nbsp;</td> <td width=598><div class="texn"> <!-- Text --> Jedním z nejvýznamnjaích eských varhaníko 20. století je <b>prof. Dr. JiYí Ropek</b> (1922-2005) a je logickým po inem, ~e práv k jeho poct je uspoYádán letoaní Mezinárodní varhanní cyklus v bazilice sv. Jakuba, kde posobil jako varhaník dlouhých 45 let.<br> <br> Narodil se v Praze, ale rodina se asto sthovala, proto~e jeho otec byl armádním dostojníkem. Hudební nadání zddil po matce, zdatné pianistce. U il se na klavír a v  15 letech v KromYí~i pYiael rozhodující impulz pro jeho dalaí ~ivotní dráhu  setkání s varhanami. Sám o tom píae:  Být varhaníkem  to není náhoda. To je cesta, na kterou vás osud zákonit pYivedl. Po maturit na gymnáziu ve vále ném roce 1941 , kdy vaechny vysoké akoly byly zavYeny, za al studovat varhanní hru na Pra~ské konzervatoYi u významného pedagoga prof. B. A. Wiedermanna, který vychoval celé generace eských varhaníko a pokra oval u nj na práv zalo~ené AMU. ZároveH také studoval na Karlov univerzit 8 semestro hudební vdu, kterou z politických dovodo nedokon il. Jako jeden z nejtalentovanjaích Wiedermannových ~áko posobil Ropek 2 roky na AMU jako jeho asistent. V té dob pYebírá atafetu po prof. Wiedermannovi a jeho koncertech u sv. Jakuba, stává se varhaníkem baziliky a vystupuje na pravidelných nedlních varhanních hodinkách v rámci bohoslu~eb pYes tyYi desetiletí. Chrámová hudba u sv. Jakuba byla v dobách komunistické diktatury pojmem  díky varhanám prof. Ropka a sboru a orchestru Yízeném Josefem Herclem. V tchto nelehkých dobách byly Ropkovy varhanní hodinky neopakovatelných duchovním zá~itkem, které v pouati oficiální pseudokultury znamenaly významný po in v pra~ském umleckém dní. Tyto hodinky navatvovali nejen muzikanti a hudební nadaenci, ale i výtvarníci a literáti a celá kulturní Praha. Nelze dost docenit tuto jeho soustavnou innost u sv. Jakuba, která pYináaela na nejvyaaí interpreta ní úrovni trvalé hodnoty. JiYí Ropek si tak vytvoYil vlastní obecenstvo, které pYeplHovalo jeho veYejné koncerty v koncertních sálech, kdy~ koncerty v kostelích nebyly komunistickou mocí povoleny. Bylo proto pYízna né, ~e první povolený koncert v kostele po 17 letech zákazo v Praze v roce 1965 hrál práv JiYí Ropek u sv. Jakuba.<br> Ohlas jeho vystoupení byl mimoYádný. U~ v padesátých letech pYialy nabídky na natá ení gramofonových desek, které jeho umní rozaíYily i do ciziny. Jednou z prvních zemí, která se ozvala, byla Anglie, kam potom asto zají~dl. Byl prvním eským varhaníkem, který koncertoval v Royal Festival Hall v Londýn a Velká Britanie se stala jeho srdci nejbli~aí. Proto si tak vá~il pocty, kterou bylo v roce 1994 jmenování estným lenem Královské spole nosti varhaníko - Royal College of Organists. Dalaí zahrani ní cesty ho vedly m.j. do `panlska, Holandska, Sev. Irska, Israele, Nmecka, `výcarska, bývalého Sovtského svazu a vystoupil i v rámci pYedolympijského festivalu v Mexiku pYi pYíle~itosti Olympijských her 1968.<br> Velmi úspaná koncertní innost zposobila, ~e JiYí Ropek byl povolán jako profesor varhanní hry na Pra~skou konzervatoY. Byla to osobní iniciativa Yeditele Dr. Václava Holzknechta, který se vahou své osobnosti zasadil, aby varhaník hrající v kostele, mohl zároveH vyu ovat na konzervatoYi, co~ v tehdejaí dob nebylo vobec samozYejmé. Vyu oval tam dvacet let a i kdy~ s trochou nadneseného humoru tvrdil, ~e se necítí být pedagogem, celá Yada jeho absolvento svd í o opaku. Odnesli si od nj pocit, ~e hudba není jen úzký obor, ale vatípil jim vdomí souvislostí s výtvarným umním, literaturou a kulturou vobec. Zposobilo to jist Ropkovo univerzální vzdlání a zájem o vae s kulturou související. Tím se dá vysvtlit, ~e jeho absolventi neposobí zdaleka jen jako varhaníci, ale je mezi nimi skladatel jazzové hudby, skladatel muzikálo, filmový scénárista, katolický knz a dokonce i ministr. U~ od padesátých let minulého století se Ropek vnoval sou asn skladb. Zde je nepopiratelný vliv B. A. Wiedermanna, kterého nazýval  pater spiritualis - varhanního virtuóza a skladatele - kombinace, která ze sou asného hudebního ~ivota stále více mizí. Celo~ivotní obdiv ke gregoriánskému chorálu a latinskému jazyku dal vzniknout Yad skladeb pro varhany sólo i v kombinaci s nástroji a vokálním dílom duchovního charakteru. Ji~ jedna z prvních varhanních skladeb z roku 1956 Variace na Victimae Paschali Laudes je dodnes jeho kompozicí nejhranjaí a byla vydána tiskem v Anglii. Dále je autorem Toccaty a fugy, Toccaty, Partity na Adoro te devote, vesms premiérovaných api kovými anglickými a americkými varhaníky a sonát pro flétnu, trubku, hoboj a housle s varhanami. K rozsáhlejaím vokáln-instrumentálním dílom patYí Missa in C, Missa brevis, Te Deum, Pocta anonymovi a Váno ní fantasie.<br> Skromný a nenápadný svou povahou, vytvoYil si vlastní osobitý interpreta ní styl. Obdivoval francouzskou romantickou a soudobou varhanní hudbu, kterou asto hrával, ale blízký mu byl i neobarokní styl Paula Hindemitha. ZároveH byl vrným interpretem skladeb svého u itele B. A. Wiedermanna. Ve varhanním svt zanechal nesmazatelnou stopu.<br> <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jan Hora <br><br> <A href="festival.html" title="Back..." class="smenu">&nbsp;< < <&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<small>zpt&nbsp;</small></A> <a name="english"></a> <br><br> <i><b>Prof. Dr. JiYí Ropek</b> (1922-2005) is regarded as one of the most distinguished Czech organists of the 20th century and it is a rather logical action that the 15th International Organ Festival at St. James´ Basilica is held in honour of him. Mr. Ropek was an organist there for a long period of forty-five years.<br> <br> He was born in Prague, however his family was often moving as his father was an army officer. His mother was a skilful pianist and that is where his talent came from. He was learning to play the piano, however being 15 years old a strong impulse for his further life arose in KromYí~ when encountering the organ. He commented this as follows: ´Being an organist is not a coincidence. That is the way your fate brings you to´. After leaving the secondary school in the war time (1941), when all universities were closed, he entered the Prague Conservatoire and started to study the organ under the prominent teacher  Prof. B. A. Wiedermann. A huge number of Czech organists studied under Wiedermann, including also J. Ropek later at the newly established Academy of Arts. At the same time, Ropek read music theory at the Charles University for 8 semesters. However, he did not complete the studies because of political reasons. Being one of the most talented Wiedermann´s students, Ropek served as an assistant to him at the Academy of Arts for 2 years. At the same time, Ropek succeeded Prof. Wiedermann as an organist at St. James´ Basilica, which also involved the established Sunday organ music as part of masses, and stayed there for more than forty years. The music production at St. James´ was something truly exceptional at the time of the communism thanks to the organ played by Prof. Ropek and a choir and an orchestra conducted by Josef Hercl. At those miserable times, Ropek´s organ music became phenomenal spiritual experience. It was a meaningful act in Prague s cultural life within a desert of the official pseudo-culture. These organ productions were attended not only by musicians and music fans but also by painters, writers and other artists. Ropek´s systematic music activities at St. James´ at the highest interpretation level have not been appraised enough till these days. Ropek´s devoted audience was overcrowding his public performances in music halls when church concerts were prohibited by a communist regime. It was symbolic that the first permitted church concert after 17 years of prohibition was performed by JiYí Ropek at St. James´ in 1965.<br> His performances always met with an immense reception. Ever since the 1950´s he was offered to make records, which meant spreading his art also abroad. The United Kingdom was the first country which invited him and Ropek started going there quite often. He was the first Czech organist to give a concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London and England became the dearest to him. He had a great regard for his honorary fellowship in the Royal College of Organists, awarded to him in 1994. He also performed in Spain, the Netherlands, the Northern Ireland, Israel, Germany, Switzerland and the former Soviet Union. He also took part in the pre-Olympic festival in Mexico in 1968.<br> Ropek´s successful concert career resulted in his appointment as a professor at the Prague Conservatoire, which was a personal initiative of Dr. Václav Holzknecht, a headmaster of the Conservatoire. At that time, it was not obvious at all for an organist playing at church to become a teacher at the Conservatoire. Finally he was teaching there for 20 years. He used to say with tongue in cheek that he did not feel to be a teacher, however a huge number of his students maintained the opposite. They learned from him that music is not a limited branch, he always insisted on a broad coherence of fine art, literature and culture in general. It surely resulted from Ropek´s universal education and deep interest in anything connected with culture. Thus, his students later became not only organists, but also a jazz composer, a composer of musicals, a screenwriter, a Catholic priest and even a Minister. In addition to his work as an organist and a teacher, Ropek was also composing since 1950´s. He was evidently influenced by B. A. Wiedermann whom he called  pater spiritualis . Wiedermann was an organ virtuoso and composer, i.e. a combination which is practically disappearing. Ropek´s lifelong admiration of Gregorian chant and Latin resulted in a number of compositions for solo organ or organ in combination with other instruments and vocal compositions of sacred character. The Variations on Victimae Paschali Laudes, one of his early organ pieces originating from 1956 and published in England, belongs to his most often performed compositions. His other organ compositions are Toccata and Fugue, Toccata, Partita on Adoro te devote, generally premiered by outstanding English and American organists. He also composed sonatas for flute, trumpet, oboe and violin accompanied by organ and large vocal-instrumental compositions, such as Missa in C, Missa brevis, Te Deum, Homage a Anonymous and Christmas Fantasia.<br> Modest and unpretending by his nature, Ropek developed his own specific interpretation style. He admired French Romantic and contemporary organ music which he often played, however he was also fond of neo-Baroque style of Paul Hindemith. At the same time, he was a dedicated interpreter of compositions of his teacher B. A. Wiedermann. Ropek surely left an indelible trace in organ art. <br> <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jan Hora <br><br> <A href="festival.html" title="Back..." class="smenu">&nbsp;< < <&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<small>back&nbsp;</small></A> <!-- Text - END --> </div></td> <td width=20>&nbsp;</td> <td width=22 bgcolor="#cc9900">&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> <!-- Obsah - 1 sloupec END --> </body> </html>