Jan Rychlík 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.
Biography
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 also played drums with the early Karel Vlach Orchestra. In addition to his drumming abilities, he was an excellent pianist and also played 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 World War II he devoted himself mainly to 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. He is also known as the author of the music for the French filmLa Création du Monde by Jean Effel. Jan Rychlík died at the age of 48. Following his death, Czech composer Otmar Mácha composed a memorial work, Variations on a Theme and on the Death of Jan Rychlík, for symphonic orchestra.
Style
Rychlík's music output has two different poles, much like 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. Rychlík was also a skilful percussionist and often performed with Czechoslovak jazz ensembles. As a music theorist, he published several treatises on jazz, such as "Pověry a problémy jazzu" and "Moderní instrumentace". He composed jazz and popular songs and short chamber compositions, mainly for wind instruments. His musical language is clear, laconic, natural, and witty. His works were reasonably popular and Rychlík was hardly able to satisfy all requests for new compositions.
Selected compositions
Orchestral
Symphonic Overture 9'
Concerto Overture for large orchestra 13'
Partita giocosa for brass orchestra 17'
Pictures and Humours. Children's suite for 10 instruments 22'
Compositions for solo instruments
Four Partitas for solo flute, ČHF, ČHF, SNKLHU 27'
Four Studies for solo flute, ČHF, Pa 10'
Burlesque Suite for solo clarinet, Pa 8'
Hommagi gravicembalistici. Suite for harpsichord, ČHF, Su, o Su 8'
Compositions for two instruments
Family Music for flute and clarinet 10'
Etudes for English horn and piano, SNKLHU 8'
School Sonatina for French horn and piano, Su, o Pa 9'
