Josef Kajetán Tyl
Encyclopedia
Josef Kajetán Tyl was a significant Czech
dramatist, writer
and actor
. He was a notable figure of the Czech National Revival
movement and is best known as the author of the current national anthem
of the Czech Republic
titled Kde domov můj
.
and retired military band oboe
player, and his wife Barbora née Králíková, daughter of a miller
and groats
maker. He was christened Josef František, yet this name was changed into Josef Kajetán when he underwent confirmation at the age of eleven. The family surname had several written forms - Tylly, Tylli, Tilly or Tyll - and was later changed to Tyl. Josef Kajetán had four younger siblings: one brother and three sisters, but except sister Anna none of them survived till adulthood.
After finishing elementary school, Josef Kajetán studied at a grammar school in Prague
and in Hradec Králové
. Among his teachers belonged the leading Czech linguist and writer
Josef Jungmann
and the playwright
Václav Kliment Klicpera
. After finishing his studies at the grammar school, he started to study philosophy
in Prague.
Already as a student, Tyl started to be active in theatre and finally left school to become a member of the Hilmer travelling theatre company. When the company disbanded after two years of journeying around the countryside, he returned to Prague and got a job of a clerk in an infantry regiment's office. In his free time he wrote theatre plays and worked as an actor at the Estates Theatre
. Due to his abilities he could leave his job in the military in 1842, as he was given a full time job at the Estates Theatre
, where he became the director, organizer and playwright
of the Czech
ensemble in the otherwise mainly German
theatre.
In 1833 Tyl became a redactor of a renewed Czech
magazine
called Květy (Blossoms), which exists until today. He was also a redactor of the magazines Vlastimil and Pražský posel (Prague Messenger), and of the newspaper Sedlské noviny (Peasant newspapers), that were later banned because of his political involvement.
Tyl used several pen name
s that were often derived from the name of his home town Kutná Hora
, for example Horský, Horník, Kutnohorský and Vítek.
In the revolutionary year 1848
Tyl became politically active and was briefly a member of the Austrian parliament in Vienna
. Because he fought for the independence of the Czech nation from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, he was later marked as politically unreliable by the authorities and expelled from the Estates Theatre
. He wanted to found his own travelling theatre company but his request was rejected, so in 1851 he joined an existing one and left for a tour, together with his family. Yet the theatre company did not fare well, and the Tyl family ended up in powerty. In 1856, during his theatre's stay in Pilsen, the 48 years old Tyl died of an unknown illness and was buried at a local cemetery.
A theatre
in Pilsen was later named in his honor Divadlo Josefa Kajetána Tyla
.
actress Magdalena Forchheimová (1803–1870), who performed under the pen name
Skalná. Tyl met her in 1829 during his first tour with a travelling theatre company, where they both performed. They married on 28 January 1839, yet their marriage stayed childless, as after a still birth Magdalena couldn't have any more children.
In 1841 Tyl fell in love with his wife's much younger sister Anna, who was also a talented actress and performed under the pen name
Anna Rajská (1824–1903). They started an affair, Tyl did not divorce or leave his wife however and all three of them lived together in one household till his death. Anna bore her brother-in-law
eight illegitimate children, their youngest son was born one month after Tyl died. Their sons went by their mother's surname Forchheim, daughters were allowed by the authorities to use father's surname Tyl.
On 24 April 1861, five years after Tyl's death, Anna married Tyl's colleague, actor
Josef Ladislav Turnovský, with whom she had three more children. Turnovský took care not only of Tyl's family but also of his legacy by saving his manuscripts and publishing his works.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
dramatist, 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....
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was a notable figure of the Czech National Revival
Czech National Revival
Czech National Revival was a cultural movement, which took part in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th century. The purpose of this movement was to revive Czech language, culture and national identity...
movement and is best known as the author of the current national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
titled Kde domov můj
Kde domov muj
Kde domov můj? is a piece of music written by the composer František Škroup and the playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl.The piece was written as a part of the incidental music to the comedy Fidlovačka aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka . It was first performed by Karel Strakatý at the Estates Theatre in...
.
Life
Josef Kajetán Tyl was the first-born son of Jiří Tyl, a tailorTailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
and retired military band oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
player, and his wife Barbora née Králíková, daughter of a miller
Miller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
and groats
Groats
Groats are the hulled grains of various cereals, such as oats, wheat, barley or buckwheat . Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain as well as the endosperm...
maker. He was christened Josef František, yet this name was changed into Josef Kajetán when he underwent confirmation at the age of eleven. The family surname had several written forms - Tylly, Tylli, Tilly or Tyll - and was later changed to Tyl. Josef Kajetán had four younger siblings: one brother and three sisters, but except sister Anna none of them survived till adulthood.
After finishing elementary school, Josef Kajetán studied at a grammar school in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and in Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos...
. Among his teachers belonged the leading Czech linguist and 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....
Josef Jungmann
Josef Jungmann
Josef Jungmann was a Bohemian poet and linguist, and a leading figure of the Czech National Revival. Together with Josef Dobrovský, he is considered to be a creator of the modern Czech language.-Life:Jungmann was the sixth child of a cobbler. In his youth, he wanted to become a priest...
and the playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Václav Kliment Klicpera
Václav Kliment Klicpera
Václav Kliment Klicpera was a Czech playwright, author, and poet. He was one of the first presenters of Czech drama, and was especially influential in the foundation of comedic Czech theater....
. After finishing his studies at the grammar school, he started to study philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in Prague.
Already as a student, Tyl started to be active in theatre and finally left school to become a member of the Hilmer travelling theatre company. When the company disbanded after two years of journeying around the countryside, he returned to Prague and got a job of a clerk in an infantry regiment's office. In his free time he wrote theatre plays and worked as an actor at the Estates Theatre
Estates Theatre
The Estates Theatre or Stavovské divadlo is a historic theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. The Estates Theatre was annexed to the National Theatre in 1948 and currently draws on three artistic ensembles, opera, ballet, and drama, which perform at the Estates Theatre, the National Theatre , and the...
. Due to his abilities he could leave his job in the military in 1842, as he was given a full time job at the Estates Theatre
Estates Theatre
The Estates Theatre or Stavovské divadlo is a historic theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. The Estates Theatre was annexed to the National Theatre in 1948 and currently draws on three artistic ensembles, opera, ballet, and drama, which perform at the Estates Theatre, the National Theatre , and the...
, where he became the director, organizer and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
of the Czech
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...
ensemble in the otherwise mainly German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
theatre.
In 1833 Tyl became a redactor of a renewed 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...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
called Květy (Blossoms), which exists until today. He was also a redactor of the magazines Vlastimil and Pražský posel (Prague Messenger), and of the newspaper Sedlské noviny (Peasant newspapers), that were later banned because of his political involvement.
Tyl used several pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
s that were often derived from the name of his home town Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora is a city in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic in the Central Bohemian Region.-History:The town began in 1142 with the settlement of the first Cistercian Monastery in Bohemia, Kloster Sedlitz, brought from the Imperial immediate Cistercian Waldsassen Abbey...
, for example Horský, Horník, Kutnohorský and Vítek.
In the revolutionary year 1848
Czech lands: 1648-1867
- 1648–1740 :Ottoman Turks and Tatars invaded Moravia in 1663, taking 12,000 slaves. In 1664 Habsburg armies under command of Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches attacked Ottomans, he conquered Nitra and Levice and freed some of captive Moravians...
Tyl became politically active and was briefly a member of the Austrian parliament in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Because he fought for the independence of the Czech nation from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, he was later marked as politically unreliable by the authorities and expelled from the Estates Theatre
Estates Theatre
The Estates Theatre or Stavovské divadlo is a historic theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. The Estates Theatre was annexed to the National Theatre in 1948 and currently draws on three artistic ensembles, opera, ballet, and drama, which perform at the Estates Theatre, the National Theatre , and the...
. He wanted to found his own travelling theatre company but his request was rejected, so in 1851 he joined an existing one and left for a tour, together with his family. Yet the theatre company did not fare well, and the Tyl family ended up in powerty. In 1856, during his theatre's stay in Pilsen, the 48 years old Tyl died of an unknown illness and was buried at a local cemetery.
A theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Pilsen was later named in his honor Divadlo Josefa Kajetána Tyla
J. K. Tyl Theatre
Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre is a main theatre in Plzeň, Czech Republic. The theatre was built between 1899-1902 in the neo-renaissance style with some art nouveau elements to the design of Antonin Balsanek...
.
Work
Tyl was an author of several novels and short stories, he is however most famous for his about 20 theatre plays, which can be divided into several groups.Plays describing the life of the Czech society in Tyl's time period
- Paličova dcera (Arsonist's daughter)
- Pražský flamendr (Prague playboy)
- Bankrotář (Bankrupter)
- Chudý kejklíř (Poor Juggler)
Plays portraying famous events from Czech history (especially the Hussite movement)
- Jan Hus
- Žižka z Trocnova (Žižka of Trocnov)
- Krvavý soud aneb kutnohorští havíři (A Bloody Verdict: The Miners of Kutná Hora)
Plays featuring fairy tale characters (fairies, witches)
- Strakonický dudák (The Bagpiper of Strakonice) – one of his most famous works
- Lesní panna aneb cesta do Ameriky (The Forest Maiden: A Journey to America)
- Tvrdohlavá žena (The Stubborn Woman)
- Jiříkovo vidění (George's Vision)
- Čert na zemi (Devil On Earth)
Other plays
- Paní Marjánka, matka pluku (Lady Marjánka, Mother of the Regiment)
- Fidlovačka – a song from this play, named Kde domov můjKde domov mujKde domov můj? is a piece of music written by the composer František Škroup and the playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl.The piece was written as a part of the incidental music to the comedy Fidlovačka aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka . It was first performed by Karel Strakatý at the Estates Theatre in...
, became CzechCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
national anthemNational anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
in 1918 - Slepý mládenec (The Blind Young Man)
Family
Tyl's wife was a CzechCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
actress Magdalena Forchheimová (1803–1870), who performed under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Skalná. Tyl met her in 1829 during his first tour with a travelling theatre company, where they both performed. They married on 28 January 1839, yet their marriage stayed childless, as after a still birth Magdalena couldn't have any more children.
In 1841 Tyl fell in love with his wife's much younger sister Anna, who was also a talented actress and performed under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Anna Rajská (1824–1903). They started an affair, Tyl did not divorce or leave his wife however and all three of them lived together in one household till his death. Anna bore her brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
eight illegitimate children, their youngest son was born one month after Tyl died. Their sons went by their mother's surname Forchheim, daughters were allowed by the authorities to use father's surname Tyl.
On 24 April 1861, five years after Tyl's death, Anna married Tyl's colleague, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Josef Ladislav Turnovský, with whom she had three more children. Turnovský took care not only of Tyl's family but also of his legacy by saving his manuscripts and publishing his works.
Children of Josef Kajetán Tyl
- Josef Otakar Forchheim (1843–1907), doctor of philosophyDoctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
and gymnasium professorProfessorA professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in Pilsen, buried in PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
at the Slavin cemetery - Jan Stanislav Forchheim (1845–1890), turnerTurningTurning is the process whereby a single point cutting tool is parallel to the surface. It can be done manually, in a traditional form of lathe, which frequently requires continuous supervision by the operator, or by using a computer controlled and automated lathe which does not. This type of...
and military band musician - Marie Eleonora Tylová (1848–1868), actress, buried in the village of Morkovice u Kroměříže
- Eliška Tylová (1850–1909), governess and actress, buried in PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
at the Slavin cemetery, alongside her mother - Vojtěch Josef Forchheim (1851–1862), drowned as a child in the river MoldauMoldauThe German word Moldau may refer to:*The historical region of Moldavia*Vltava, river in the Czech Republic*"The Moldau", a symphonic poem by Bedřich Smetana named after the Vltava...
- František K. Forchheim (1853–1902), actor of the National TheatreNational Theatre (Prague)The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
, used one of his father's pen names, Horník, as his own pen namePen nameA pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her... - stillbornStillbirthA stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
boy (1855–1855) - Kajetán Josef Forchheim (1856 – ?), educated in bakeryBakeryA bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
, later disappeared, fate unknown
Sources
- "Osudy těch druhých aneb Lidé kolem Tyla" by Helena Pospíchalová
- "Czechs in History - Josef Kajetan Tyl" by Alena Škodová