From Communism to Democracy: Choral Music Education in Czechoslovakia (1948 – 1992) and the Czech Republic (1993 – 2011) As
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 8-22-2014 12:00 AM From Communism To Democracy: Choral Music Education In Czechoslovakia (1948 – 1992) And The Czech Republic (1993 – 2011) as Experienced by Four Prominent Czech Musicians Jakub Martinec The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Paul Woodford The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Music A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Jakub Martinec 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Music Education Commons Recommended Citation Martinec, Jakub, "From Communism To Democracy: Choral Music Education In Czechoslovakia (1948 – 1992) And The Czech Republic (1993 – 2011) as Experienced by Four Prominent Czech Musicians" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2359. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2359 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY: CHORAL MUSIC EDUCATION IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA (1948 – 1992) AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC (1993 – 2011) AS EXPERIENCED BY FOUR PROMINENT CZECH MUSICIANS (Thesis format: Monograph) by Jakub Martinec Graduate Program in Music Education A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Jakub Martinec 2014 FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY Abstract The Czech Republic has experienced a rich history of singing over many centuries that helped to promote a spirit of national and ethnic identity, culture, and pride. Singing has long been valued because it helped bond people together during difficult times, including during the years of communism. In this thesis, I provide a brief historical overview of music education in the Czech Lands (now Czech Republic) to show how choral music education, as a central part of the curriculum for centuries in this territory, influenced the development of Czech nationalism. The main focus is on choral music education practices and perceptions during the dramatic political changes that occurred during and after communist domination in the latter half of the twentieth century until 2011. The collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the growing dissatisfaction of the population with the economic and political situation in the country resulted in the Velvet Revolution led by unarmed students marching and singing in the streets, which ultimately led to the end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia. This thesis provides an historical and narrative account of the education system and more specifically, choral music education. The study draws heavily on the personal testimonies of four prominent Czech choral music educators who lived and worked during the communist regime, and through the transition to democracy and now during the capitalist economic system. These individuals were interviewed for their personal and professional knowledge of, and insights into, social, political, or economic factors that influenced choral music education in the Czech Lands. The conclusion of this dissertation is not that communism or democracy is necessarily better for Czech choral music education. With the onset of democracy, globalization, technological advances, and goals of individualism and capitalism, people have access to ii FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY other, far more powerful and far-reaching means to communicate—not just locally, but globally. Singing no longer holds a pivotal & central place, and radical changes in structures are necessary if the choral art is to regain its former prominence. Attention to teacher education practices, and innovative pedagogies & repertoire that educate singing teachers to empower their students will be required to ensure there is quality choral music education in generations to come. Keywords: Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, music education, choral music education, choirs, communism, democracy iii FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisor, Dr. Paul Woodford, committee member Dr. Ruth Wright, and the Department of Music Education faculty at Western University. I dedicate this thesis with thanks to my family—my wife Jennifer, and our three children, Ella, Bryn, and Maya—and The Czech Boys Choir with my friend and colleague Martin Sedláček for their ongoing support and encouragement. iv FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v Chapter 1: Introduction and Methodology .......................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: History of Czech Education and Music Education to 1948 ............................ 42 Chapter 3: The Onset of Communist Power 1948-1968 ................................................... 66 Chapter 4: The 1968 Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia ...................................... 96 Chapter 5: From Normalization to the Velvet Revolution .............................................. 120 Chapter 6: The Transition to Democracy 1989-1992 ..................................................... 149 Chapter 7: The Czech Republic after 1993 ..................................................................... 170 Chapter 8: Impact of Democratization on the Political, Economic, Social and Educational Systems in the Czech Republic from 1948 to 2011 .................................... 195 References ....................................................................................................................... 239 Appendices ...................................................................................................................... 259 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................ 260 v FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY Chapter 1: Introduction and Methodology Historically, music education, and especially choral singing, has held a unique place in the educational system of the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia). Since the first church schools were established in the 6th Century, music always held a place as one of the paramount subject disciplines, a description of which is outlined in Chapter Two. While the history of the Czech lands has been turbulent, two of the most interesting times have been the periods beginning in 1948, when Czechoslovakia first came under the domination of the Soviet Union, and then after 1989, when the Velvet Revolution provided the catalyst for the transition from communism to democracy that led to the dissolution of the union between the Czechs and Slovaks. In 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully divided into two independent countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This study of the history of choral music education in the Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia deals with the historical era between 1948 and 2011—the latter was the year in which the first Czech president of modern history, the poet Vaclav Havel (b. 1936-2011), died. Ultimately, and while of necessity, this study commences with an examination of choral music education within Czechoslovakia following World War II and leading up to the dissolution of the country in 1993, its primary purpose is to generate a picture of choral music education in the Czech lands between 1948 and 2011 so as to better understand how it was influenced by, while also being implicated in, national and regional politics and events. To set the thesis in context, it is important to note that the researcher (b. 1979) is a Czech national who grew up under the communist regime and received his initial music 1 FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY education as a singer in children’s choirs during that period. In 1998, he was appointed choral conductor of a boys’ choir in Hradec Kralove and, from 2006 to 2010, when this choir school became publicly funded as a private music school, he served as assistant headmaster there. In 2010, he founded the Czech Boys Choir which has gained a successful international reputation through invited tours and festivals. Thus, the study is more than merely an attempt to document the history of choral singing in what is today the Czech Republic, although it is that too. The study is also a personal quest for an understanding of the Czech choral music education experience and its development during those tumultuous years and how it shaped the researcher’s own perceptions and ideas—as well as those of other choral directors, musicians and the Czech public in general—about, for example, national identity and the purposes and places of choral music in education and society. The research draws upon archival and other evidentiary material to document where possible, for example, the roles of specific people and institutions, as well as national, regional, and global politics and events in the forming of education policy affecting choral music