Karel Hruška was a Czech tenor

Tenor

The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...

, radio personality, and actor of the stage and film. He was an unusual singer for his day in that he recorded and performed both classical and popular music. Possessing a great comic talent, he specialized in creating character parts on the opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 stage. He was a much loved Principál komediantů in Bedřich Smetana

Bedrich Smetana

Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...

's The Bartered Bride

The Bartered Bride

The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...

, notably portraying the role a total of 855 times during his career.

Biography

Born in Plzeň, Hruška studied singing with Josef Branzovský before making his professional opera debut as Beppe in Ruggero Leoncavallo

Ruggero Leoncavallo

Ruggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer. His two-act work Pagliacci remains one of the most popular works in the repertory, appearing as number 20 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.-Biography:...

's Pagliacci

Pagliacci

Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...

at the J. K. Tyl Theatre

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...

 in Plzeň in 1911. He was committed to that opera house for the next eight years. In 1919 he joined the roster of singers at the National Theatre

National 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...

 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...

 where he portrayed mainly comprimario

Comprimario

A Comprimario is a supporting role in an opera. Derived from the Italian "con primario", or "with the primary", the term refers to a performer who sings small role pieces....

 roles for many years. He notably created the role of the Executioner in the world premiere of Jaromír Weinberger

Jaromír Weinberger

- Biography :Weinberger was born in Prague, from a family of Jewish origin. He heard Czech folksongs from time spent at his grandparents' farm as a youth. He started to play the piano at age 5, and was composing and conducting by age 10. He began musical studies with Jaroslav Křička. Later teachers...

's Schwanda the Bagpiper on 27 April 1927.

Between 1928-1943 Hruška made several gramophone record

Gramophone record

A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

 recordings of popular music, including a number of recordings with Vlasta Burian

Vlasta Burian

Josef Vlastimil Burian, better known as Vlasta Burian, was a Czech stage and film actor, singer, comedian, footballer and a film director...

. He also had his own program on Czech Radio and sang on a number of complete opera recordings made on the Supraphon

Supraphon

Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...

 label.

Hruška made his first movie appearance in the 1913 Czech feature film

Feature film

In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...

 Prodaná nevěsta. He appeared in seven more Czech feature films during his career: Červená karkulka

Little Red Riding Hood (1920 film)

Little Red Riding Hood is a 1920 Czechoslovak drama film directed by Svatopluk Innemann.-Cast:*Ludmila Innemannová ... Grandmother*Zdena Kavková ... Karkulka Podhorská*Josef Zora ... Father*Arnostka Záhoríková ... Mother...

(1922), Josef Kajetán Tyl

Josef Kajetán Tyl

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.-Life:Josef Kajetán Tyl was the first-born son of Jiří...

(1926), Podskalák (1929), Třetí zvonění (1938), Zvony z rákosu (1951), Anna proletářka

Anna proletářka

Anna proletářka is a 1952 Czechoslovak film. The film starred Josef Kemr....

(1953), and Dobrodružství na Zlaté zátoce (1955).

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