Jan Blahoslav
Encyclopedia
Jan Blahoslav was a Czech
humanistic
writer
, poet
, translator, etymologist, hymnographer, grammarian, music theorist and composer
. He was a Unity of the Brethren
bishop, and translated the New Testament
into Czech
in 1564. This was incorporated into the Bible of Kralice
.
He studied theory under Listenius and Hermann Finck at University of Wittenberg from 1544. At Wittenberg he became acquainted with Martin Luther
, and he was also acquainted with Philipp Melanchthon
. After a short period at Mladá Boleslav (1548–9) he continued his education at Königsberg and Basle. He was a fine linguist who strove to preserve the purity of his native tongue and succeeded in bridging the gulf between Christianity and humanism. He was ordained at Mladá Boleslav in 1553, and became a bishop of the Fraternity of Czech (or Moravian) Brethren in 1557. In the following year he established himself at Ivančice, where before long he installed a printing press. Towards the end of his life he moved to Moravský Krumlov.
His treatise Musica: to gest knjžka zpěwákům, published in Olomouc in 1558 (ed. and Eng. trans. in Sovík), is believed to be the first on music theory in the Czech language, but its information is derived from the writings of Listenius, Finck, Ornithoparchus and Coclico. Blahoslav wrote two entirely new sections for the second edition giving critical and practical advice to singers and choirmasters, and guidance to composers of hymns: he emphasized the need for the musical rhythm to correspond with the časomíra system of prosody (i.e. the alternation of long and short syllables) of the verses. He was the chief editor of the Pisně duchowni ewangelistské (1561), known as the Szamotuły Kancionál, which comprised 735 hymn texts, 52 of them by Blahoslav, and more than 450 tunes, including a number drawn from secular sources and eight which he may have composed himself. Blahoslav has been greatly esteemed for his Czech translation of the New Testament (1568; ed. J. Konopásek, Prague, 1931–2), which was the initial step in the preparation of the celebrated Bible of Kralice (1588). Blahoslav's work had some influence on Jan Amos Komenský.
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
humanistic
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, translator, etymologist, hymnographer, grammarian, music theorist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He was a Unity of the Brethren
Unity of the Brethren
The Unity of the Brethren is a Christian denomination whose roots are in the pre-reformation work of priest and philosopher Jan Hus, who was martyred in 1415.-History in Bohemia:...
bishop, and translated the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
in 1564. This was incorporated into the Bible of Kralice
Bible of Kralice
The Bible of Kralice was the first complete translation of the Bible from the original languages into the Czech language. Translated by the Unity of the Brethren and printed in the town of Kralice nad Oslavou, the first edition had six volumes and was published between the years 1579 and 1593...
.
He studied theory under Listenius and Hermann Finck at University of Wittenberg from 1544. At Wittenberg he became acquainted with Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
, and he was also acquainted with Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
. After a short period at Mladá Boleslav (1548–9) he continued his education at Königsberg and Basle. He was a fine linguist who strove to preserve the purity of his native tongue and succeeded in bridging the gulf between Christianity and humanism. He was ordained at Mladá Boleslav in 1553, and became a bishop of the Fraternity of Czech (or Moravian) Brethren in 1557. In the following year he established himself at Ivančice, where before long he installed a printing press. Towards the end of his life he moved to Moravský Krumlov.
His treatise Musica: to gest knjžka zpěwákům, published in Olomouc in 1558 (ed. and Eng. trans. in Sovík), is believed to be the first on music theory in the Czech language, but its information is derived from the writings of Listenius, Finck, Ornithoparchus and Coclico. Blahoslav wrote two entirely new sections for the second edition giving critical and practical advice to singers and choirmasters, and guidance to composers of hymns: he emphasized the need for the musical rhythm to correspond with the časomíra system of prosody (i.e. the alternation of long and short syllables) of the verses. He was the chief editor of the Pisně duchowni ewangelistské (1561), known as the Szamotuły Kancionál, which comprised 735 hymn texts, 52 of them by Blahoslav, and more than 450 tunes, including a number drawn from secular sources and eight which he may have composed himself. Blahoslav has been greatly esteemed for his Czech translation of the New Testament (1568; ed. J. Konopásek, Prague, 1931–2), which was the initial step in the preparation of the celebrated Bible of Kralice (1588). Blahoslav's work had some influence on Jan Amos Komenský.
Works
- O původu Jednoty - Rules of Unity
- Filipika proti misomusům
- Gramatika česká - Czech Grammar
- Bratrský archiv
- Naučení mládencům
- Akta Jednoty bratrské - Rules of the Unity of the BrethrenUnity of the BrethrenThe Unity of the Brethren is a Christian denomination whose roots are in the pre-reformation work of priest and philosopher Jan Hus, who was martyred in 1415.-History in Bohemia:...
- Rejstřík skladatelů bratrských písní
Works on music
- Muzika (OlomoucOlomoucOlomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, 1558) - On Music - Šamotulský kancionál (1561) - Cantionale
- Věčný králi, pane náš - Song published in Staročeské hymny a písně (Old Czech Hymns and Songs) (1940)
See also
- List of Czech writers
- Slavic translations of the BibleSlavic translations of the BibleThis article deals with the history of translation of the Bible into Slavic languages, beginning in the second half of the 9th century....