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Czech-American composer (1919–1996)

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Václav Nelhýbel
Born	(1919-09-24)September 24, 1919 Polanka nad Odrou [cs], Ostrava, Czechoslovakia
Died	March 22, 1996(1996-03-22) (aged 76)
Genres	Classical
Occupation	Composer

Musical artist

Václav Nelhýbel (September 24, 1919 – March 22, 1996) was a Czech-American composer, mainly of works for student performers.

Life and career

Nelhýbel was born the youngest of five children in Polanka nad Odrou [cs], Ostrava, Czechoslovakia. He received his early musical training in Prague, going to both Charles University in Prague and Prague Conservatory. In 1942 he went to Switzerland, where he studied at University of Fribourg; after 1947 he taught there. In 1957 he came to the United States, where he taught at several schools, including Lowell State College. He served as composer-in-residence at University of Scranton for several years until his death. The university's Department of Performance Music continues to house his full collection of works.

Some of his music is for wind instruments or concert band, and most of his published music is designed for student performers. He used non-functional modal writing, pandiatonicism, and motor rhythms extensively.

He was an advocate of the use of a flute in F, sitting between (and notably aurally bridging) the standard (and far more common) C Flute and C Piccolo. Although such a flute is now commercially available from Kotato, he wrote of it in hypothetical terms as solving a perceived dilemma at the end of the chorale in his Symphonic Movement (1966); however, his advocating does not seem to have borne fruit. Interestingly, he advised against such a bridge role being served by either the E♭ soprano flute or G treble flute (at least in concert band settings) due to the additional accidentals (sharps and flats, respectively) compared to the key in which the flute/piccolo would be playing. His writing of the G treble flute in hypothetical terms, implies that he was unaware in 1967 of its recent creation and use by the Ulster Amateurs (a Northern Irish flute band) in 1965. That band used it as a replacement for the pre-Boehm (simple-system) flute in A♭. Those flutes served the same function as Nelhýbel's proposed F soprano flute – a bridge between piccolo and C flute.

Nelhýbel received numerous prizes and awards for his compositions, which include a prize at the International Music and Dance Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, for his ballet "In the Shadow of the Limetree". In 1954, he was also awarded the first prize of the Ravitch Foundation in New York for his opera A Legend, and in 1978 he won an award from the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts. Four American universities honored him with honorary doctoral degrees in music.

In addition to his works for winds, he wrote three ballets, three operas, and a symphony.

He was also a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Kappa Kappa Psi.

Works

Orchestra

1964 Etude symphonique
1966 Passacaglia for orchestra and solo piano
1967 Dies ultima for orchestra, SATB chorus, SATB soli, narrator, speaking chorus and jazz band
1967 Music for Orchestra
1968 Movement for Orchestra
1972 A mighty fortress
1973 Polyphonies
1974 Aegean Modes
1976 Finale
1977 Concerto spirituoso No. 4 for orchestra, string quartet and solo voice
1976 Slavonic Triptych
1979 Lincoln Scene
1980 Six Fables for all time for orchestra, SATB chorus and narrator
1981 Overture for Orchestra
1985 New Orleans Concerto
Cantique des cantiques for orchestra, soprano solo, harp and piano
Cantus Concertante for orchestra, violin, viola, cello soli and soprano solo
Canzona e Toccata feroce
Christmas in Bohemia for mixed choir and orchestra
Concerto spirituoso No. 5 for orchestra, saxophone quartet and string quartet
Concerto for clarinet and orchestra
Concerto for double bass and orchestra
Concerto for guitar and chamber orchestra
Concerto for trombone and orchestra
Concerto for viola and orchestra
Concertino for chamber orchestra and piano
Divertimento for brass quintet and orchestra
Fantasia Concertante
Fantasy on America for festival orchestra, solo violin and youth solo section
Four Australian Songs for orchestra and (SA) chorus
Four readings from Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus" for orchestra (or piano) and male solo voice
Graffiti Pompeiani for orchestra, SSATTBB soli and piano
Houston Concerto
Jesu meine Freude
Kindermarch
Let there be Music for orchestra, SATB chorus, baritone voice solo, piano, bass guitar and electric guitar
Music for Woodwind Quintet and Orchestra
Praise the Lord for orchestra, SATB chorus, SATB soli and piano
Rhapsody for saxophone and orchestra
Rhapsody in D for orchestra, string quartet and piano
Sine Nomine for SATB chorus, SATB soloists, orchestra and band
Sinfonie contra Plagam for orchestra and SATB chorus
Sinfonietta Concertante
Three Modes for Orchestra for orchestra and piano
Two Movements for Chamber Orchestra

Concert band

1965 Chorale
1965 Symphonic Requiem for band and bass baritone solo
1965 Trittico
1. Allegro maestoso
2. Adagio
3. Allegro marcato
1966 Adagio and Allegro
1966 Andante and Toccata
1966 Appassionato
1966 Estampie for band and antiphonal brass choir (2 trumpets, 2 trombones)
1966 Prelude and Fugue
1966 Symphonic Movement
1967 Caucasian Passacaglia
1967 Ceremonial Music for field band and antiphonal trumpet
1967 Suite Concertante
1967 Three Revolutionary Marches (composed by Smetana, arranged by Nehlýbel)
1968 Festivo
1969 Marcia Dorica
1969 Suite from Bohemia
1970 Two Symphonic Movements
1970 Cantata Pacis SATB chorus, SATB soloists, wind ensemble, piano-celesta, organ and percussion
1971 Yamaha Concerto
1971 Hymn of Hope for band and SATB chorus
1972 Alaska Scherzo
1972 Antiphonale for band, brass sextet (3 trumpets, 3 trombones)
1972 High Plains
1972 Introit for band and chimes solo
1973 Concert Piece for band, solo wind instrument (alto or tenor or baritone saxophone, or trumpet, or trombone, or baritone, or tuba)
1973 Organum for band and antiphonal brass choir (2 trumpets, 2 trombones)
1974 Czech Suite
1974 Dixie Parade
1974 Halleluiah for band and SATB chorus
1974 Russian Chant and Dance
1975 Fugue to the Mountains
1975 Praise to the Lord for band and antiphonal trumpets
1976 Ballad
1976 Ça Ira (song of the French Revolution)
1976 Corsican Litany
1976 Crusaders
1976 Dialogues for band and piano solo
1976 Evening Song
1976 Fanfares (Smetana-Nelhybel)
1976 Finale based on "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", "Glory, Glory Hallelujah" and "America"
1976 March in Counterpoint
1976 March to Nowhere
1976 Parade
1976 Processional
1976 Religioso
1976 Valse Nostalgique
1977 Aegean Modes
1977 Lyrical March
1977 Yugoslav Dance
1979 Amen
1979 Ritual
1980 Battle Hymn of the Republic for band and SATB chorus
1981 Concerto Grosso for band and tubas solo (2 or more tubas)
1981 He's got the whole World in his Hands for band and SATB chorus
1981 Swing low, Sweet Chariot for band and SATB chorus
1982 Concertante
1982 Fantasia, three interpretations of Prelude I from Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier
1982 French Suite
1982 Holiday in Germany
1983 Born to die
1983 Christmas in Poland
1983 Great is thy Faithfulness (Runyan-Nelhybel) for band and SATB chorus
1984 Agon
1985 Overture for Band
1988 Christmas March
1988 Festove Adorations based on "A Mighty Fortress", "Jesu Priceless Treasure", and "Praise the Almighty"
1989 Cantus
1990 Concerto for bass trombone and wind ensemble or orchestra
1992 Procession to the End of Time
1995 Concertato for tenor trombone, bass trombone and wind ensemble
1996 Concerto for euphonium and band
1996 Prelude and Chorale for band and solo instrument – based on the 12th century chorale Svaty Vaclave
1996 Prayer and Thanksgiving
1996 Songs of Praise based on "God of our Fathers", "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Onward Christian Soldiers"
1996 Star Spangled Banner
Agape for soloists, SATB chorus and wind ensemble
Agitato e Marcia
Amen for Everyman for SATB chorus, SB soloists, band, jazz ensemble and organ
America sings for SATB chorus and band
Benny Havens
Canticum for band and SATB chorus
Ceremony for Band
Chorale Variations
Chronos for band, guitar and piano
1. Grave – Adagio
2. Toccata feroce
Concerto for clarinet (or saxophone), 25 winds, percussion
Concerto for horn (or tuba), piccolo, 2 flutes, oboe, english horn, 2 bassoons, 2 clarinets, harp, double bass, 2 trumpets, trombone, vibraphone, xylophone, bells, chimes
Cornerstone for a new Moon for SATB, band, piano and organ
Dance of the dead Souls
De Profundis concerto for trumpet and band
Divertimento for Band
Drake Suite
Epitaph
Espressivo
Five and a half Songs for SATB chorus, TB soloists, 12 woodwinds, 5 brass, 2 percussion and keyboard
Golden Concerto for trumpet, 16 winds and percussion
Hymn of hope for (SATB) chorus and band
Jesu, Priceless Treasure (Bach-Nelhybel) for band and SATB chorus
La danse des fauves for clarinet, oboe/english horn, bassoon and band
Lento for Band
Liturgy for band and solo voice
Monolith
Musical Offering (Bach-Nelhybel) based on three chorales by Johann Sebastian Bach: "Jesu Priceless Treasure", "Morning Star", "Oh Sacred Head Now Wounded"
Ostinato
Pentecost Concerto for clarinet and band
Rhapsody in C for band and piano solo
Sand-Silence-Solitude
Sine Nomine for SATB chorus, SATB Soloists, orchestra and band
Sinfonia Resurrectionis
The Silence for band and soprano solo
Te Deum SATB chorus, SATB soloists, organ or 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba and timpani
Toccata (Cernohorsky-Nelhýbel) for band and organ – An arrangement of a toccata by Bohuslav Matej Cernohorsky (1684–1742)
Toccata feroce for band and piano solo
Toccata in D
Toccata in D (Flat)
Toccata in E
Variations on "Es ist genug"

Organ

Concerto No. 1 for organ and orchestra without woodwinds
Concerto No. 2 for organ and orchestra without woodwinds
Concerto No. 3 for organ, piccolo trumpet and timpani
Introit for organ and solo chimes

Choral

1966 Caroli Antiqui Varii SSATTBB chorus – 7 traditional Christmas songs
1. Quem vidistis
2. Lully lulla
3. Qui creavit caelum
4. Celebrons
5. O Jesu Christ
6. Es kommt ein Schiff geladen
7. Puer natus in Bethlehem
1966 Epitaph for a Soldier SATB chorus and SA soloists – text by Walt Whitman from Leaves of Grass
1966 The Wife of Usher's Well SATB chorus
1967 Four Ballads – (The Gallows-Tree) SSATBB chorus and SBB soloists
- "Come, O My Love" TBB chorus
- "Peter Gray" SSA chorus
- "The Devil and the Farmer's Wife" SSATBB chorus
1971 Let my People go SATB Chorus and SATB Soloists
1972 The Lord shall raise me up SATB Chorus
1973 Gift of Love SA Chorus
1975 Estampie Natalis for eight-part mixed chorus, SAT soli, piccolo, violin (viola), cello, and percussion
1977 Psalm 150 (Praise Him with the Timbrel) Four-Part Chorus of Mixed Voices
1979 Adoratio 6 sopranos, 5 altos, 5 tenors, 5 basses (or larger chorus) – text from the second book of Solomon's Song of Songs
1980 Orange and blue SATB Chorus
1981 All through the Night SSA Chorus
1981 Katy Cruel SSA Chorus
Banana Three and other Songs SATB Chorus

Opera

1954 A Legend
1979 Everyman – based on a medieval ballad
King Lear – text: William Shakespeare's King Lear
The Station

Selected discography

The Symphony Orchestra and Its Instruments (1959) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
Twelve-Tone Composition Prepared by Vaclav Nelhybel (1961) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
Forms in Instrumental Music: Prepared by Vaclav Nelhybel (1962) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
Modal Counterpoint in the Style of the 16th Century Prepared by Vaclav Nelhybel (1962) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
Music Arrangement: Prepared by Vaclav Nelhybel – Musical examples played by chamber orchestra (1962) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
Traditional Harmony Prepared by Vaclav Nelhybel (1962) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
The Fugue in the Style of the 18th Century (1964) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
Tonal Counterpoint in the Style of the 18th Century Prepared by Vaclav Nelhybel (1964) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
Outer Space: Music by Vaclav Nelhybel (1974) Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine

References

James P. Cassaro: "Vaclav Nelhybel", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed June 20, 2005), (subscription access)
Scranton.edu
Archive.is
^ Nelhybel, Vaclav (June 1967). "Band Instrumentation – The Most Needed Change". The Instrumentalist: 132–133. Via Woodwind Anthology; a compendium of articles from The Instrumentalist on the woodwind instruments OCLC 415580
"Soprano Flute". kotatofukushima (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-01-12.
^ Greer, Derek (1985). "The Flute Bands of Ireland". The Flutist Quarterly. XI (1): 41–43.

External links

"Nelhybel", University of Scranton
Discography at Smithsonian Folkways
Interview with Vaclav Nelhybel, October 25, 1986

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