Volume 3, Issue 1 The Kapralova Society Journal Spring 2005 A Journal of Women in Music Love’s Labour’s Lost: Martinu, Kapralova and Hitler1 By Alan Houtchens "Love's Labour's Lost." I have several significant works under the watchful shamelessly appropriated Shakespeare's eye of Martinu, who, for his part, was title for a play of quite another kind, a trag- touched to the very core of his being by his edy that was played out only once, during beautiful young pupil. the years 1938 and 1939, involving the fol- Since the death in 1978 of Mar- lowing principal characters: tinu's widow, Charlotte, (they were married in 1931), and especially after the appear- Bohuslav Martinu, the Czech composer; ance of Jiri Mucha's book Podivne lasky born in 1890 (Strange Loves) in 1988, the romantic at- tachment that developed between Kapra- Vitezslava Kapralova, brilliant Czech com- lova and Martinu has become common poser and conductor; 25 years younger knowledge.2 Musical evidence of Kapra- than Bohuslav Martinu lova and Martinu's intimacy may be discov- Special points of interest: ered in Martinu's Eight Madrigals for mixed Otakar Sourek, by profession a civil engi- voices on texts selected from Moravian folk neer in Prague, by avocation a musicolo- poetry, composed in 1939. In the biogra- · Otakar Sourek’s corre- gist, music editor, and music critic; seven phy of Martinu written in 1961 by his close spondence with Bohuslav years older than Martinu friend and trusted confidant, Milos Safra- Martinu and Vitezslava nek, the lyrics of the Madrigals are charac- Adolf Hitler, architect of a restructured Kapralova terized as representing various moments in Europe; one year older than Martinu "a vague love story." Safranek also matter- · Where are all the women of-factly affirmed that Martinu did not wish When Vitezslava Kapralova met composers? to have the work published because of "the Martinu for the first time in April 1937, she romantic texts which, at the time of writing had just graduated from a series of master the Madrigals, had a special significance classes in composition and conducting at for the composer."3 Inside this issue: the Prague Conservatory. Her teachers The purpose of this paper is not to had been Vitezslav Novak and Vaclav trace the flowering of the relationship be- A. Houtchens: Love’s Labour’s Lost: 1 Talich. Martinu encouraged her to aban- tween Martinu and Kapralova, but rather to Martinu, Kapralova and Hitler don the notion of going to Vienna for fur- bring to light a very interesting series of let- ther study and, instead, to apply for a K. Hartl: Kapralova’s correspon- 4 ters Martinu and Otakar Sourek wrote to dence with Otakar Sourek grant offered by the French Ministry of each other as a consequence of Martinu's Education and Culture for the purpose of concern for Kapralova.4 After a lapse of K. Hartl: Vitezslava Kapralova: A life 6, 11 studying in Paris at the Ecole Normale de nearly two and a half years in the corre- chronology Musique. He felt that Paris was a much spondence between the two men, on Octo- more vibrant, artistically progressive city. ber 25, 1938 Martinu sent Sourek a hastily E. Gates: Where are all the women 8 Her application was approved, and she composers? Reclaiming a cultural written, agitated plea for assistance regard- heritage spent the period from autumn 1937 to ing Kapralova's effort to secure another sti- June 1938 in France, after which time she pend from the French government so that New publications 12 returned to her hometown of Brno in she could return to Paris. He began with Moravia. In addition to studying conduct- these words: "In these sorrowful times, al- ing under Charles Munch, during her so- low me to seek your help, partly for myself journ in France she was able to compose but mainly for Vitulka Kapralova."5 The in- Page 2 The Kapralova Society Journal Love’s Labour’s Lost famous Munich Agreement had been signed a month ear- between Vitezslava and Sourek. One of the most lier (on September 29), and Martinu obviously feared for touching and eloquent of the many communications the personal well-being of Kapralova.6 she sent to him is a New Year's greeting for the year Judging from this and subsequent letters dated 1937.9 On one side of a plain piece of heavy-stock pa- November 8 and 13, Martinu also wanted to make sure that per cut to the size of a postcard, she drew three sys- Kapralova would be able to accept an invitation to conduct tems of staves for voice and piano and wrote out a the French Radio Orchestra in performances of her own newly composed setting of "K novemu roku" by the Vojenska symfonieta (Military Sinfonietta). A contract Czech Nobel Prize-winning poet Jaroslav Seifert (see had been prepared that would place her in front of the or- fig. 1). chestra as early as the beginning of December 1938. Vitezslava Kapralova was not quite twenty-two Kapralova's application for renewal of the stipend years old when she presented this little gem to Sourek. was supported by letters of recommendation from, besides Today her gesture of kindness and friendship can be Sourek himself, Vitezslav Novak, Karel Boleslav Jirak, Jan viewed as being uncommonly prophetic of her own un- Branberger, Vaclav Talich, Vaclav Stepan, and Charles timely death and also of the beginning of a new life for Munch.7 Even so, early reports leaking from government her lover.10 She died in Montpellier of tuberculosis in sources initially indicated that Kapralova would not receive June 1940, in her twenty-fifth year, just as Bohuslav a stipend, but that at least she had been selected as the and Charlotte Martinu were fleeing France by a hazard- first alternate. Martinu pleaded with Sourek, who was a ous and circuitous route that eventually would lead them highly respected, influential member of the Prague artistic to America. community, to intercede on behalf of Kapralova by con- During the preceding seven months, Martinu tacting officials connected with the Ministry of Education not only had to concern himself with Kapralova's trou- and Culture. Earlier, he had written to Vaclav Talich with bles but with his own and his wife's as well. With each the same entreaty.8 passing day, political and economic conditions in On November 22, Sourek did, in fact, write a letter France and central Europe steadily deteriorated, yet as to Stanislav Bukovsky, who was serving at that time as in- he began groping for alternatives he felt compelled to terim Minister of Education and Culture. He described return to his homeland. A passage in his letter to Kapralova's achievements in the most glowing terms and Sourek dated November 8, 1938, is worth quoting at encouraged Bukovsky to give priority to her application in length: the event that any of the other competitors should with- draw. Two days later Sourek received a letter from L. R. It is certain that the tribulations that lie Stransky, secretary to the Minister, confirming the news ahead for us will be difficult and momen- transmitted orally in a conversation they must have had tous for our entire nation and painful for that day or the day before to the effect that Kapralova every one of us. Even for me, like the would receive a stipend. She returned to Paris in January rest, the shock has been too violent, con- 1939. sidering that I have seen many, many Sourek's praise of Vitezslava Kapralova was sin- things with which I cannot agree, and even cere, stemming from a close association with the entire your news concerning the about-face of Kapral family that eventually was to last twenty-seven many people does not surprise me very years. Vitezslava's father, Vaclav Kapral, himself an im- much.11 I am convinced, however, that portant composer, dedicated to Sourek Obet pisni (Songs much of it is a mannered response to the of Sacrifice) for men's chorus, which he had composed in pain of the first tragic moments, disap- 1917 and eventually published in 1926 under the title Mod- pointment and even nervous exhaustion, litba (Prayer). Vítezslava likewise dedicated a major work, and that, in the end--not wishing to say Suita rustica, op. 19, to Sourek. This composition, per- that truth will prevail--our people will begin haps her very best, was completed on November 10, 1938, to think again. In the first instant, I saw all at about the same time the events we have been consider- my work of those fifteen years in Paris ing took place. collapse, which really makes us grow bit- Written correspondence between Vaclav Kapral ter, but then I realized that not even what and Otakar Sourek covered the period from March 1922 has happened can destroy those ideals right up to Kapral's death in 1947. Sourek continued to that an artist carries in his heart and correspond with the widow Kapralova at least until July 29, which, in fact, outlast all the changes that 1949. A considerable body of correspondence also exists are taking place in the world, and from Volume 3, Issue 1 Page 3 Fig. 1: "K novemu roku" (“For New Year’s Day“) by Vitezslava Kapralova. First published in Irish Musical Studies 4, ed. Patrick F. Devine and Harry White (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1996), 130. Used with permission of the publisher. which the "change of all values" that today is to convey the sense--or, properly, the nonsense--of those everywhere in vogue has not detracted and "sorrowful" times in his Double Concerto for Two String never will detract.