Alternate Names:

Wenzel Bech (German), Вацлав Бех (Russian)

National:

Bohemian (Czech)

Bass Tradition:

Czech / Russian

Activity:

Solo & Orchestra bassist, Composer, Conservatory Professor

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Chronology:

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        Birth:

October 23, 1877 Lounkách (Lanken), Bohemia (Czech Republic today)

        Studied with:

Vendelin Sladek and Frantisek Czerny at Prague Conservatory 1891-1897

        Orchestras:

1900 – 1901 Graz Opera, Austria (Solo bassist)
1902 – 1903 Czech Philharmonic, Prague
1904 – 1905 Warsaw Philharmonic, Warsaw, Poland (First bass)
.                       Wagner-Festspielorchester (Bayreuth)
1908 – 1914 Imperial (Mariinsky) Theatre St. Petersburg (First bass)
1918               National Theatre Orchestra, Prague
1919 – 1936 National Theatre Orchestra, Brno

        Professorship:

1909 – 1914 St. Petersburg Conservatory, Russia
1919 – 1936 Brno Conservatory, Czechoslovakia

        Notable Students:

Julius Ventruba, Fabien Sevitzky, František Červinka

        Solos:

Solo tour in England with violinist Jan Kubelik

        Passing:

December 7, 1936 Brno, Czechoslovakia

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Bibliography:

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        Biographic Citations:

Bozduganova, Svoboda. Vliv Českých Kontrabasistů na Vývoj Kontrabasové Školy v Bulharsku. B.M. Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts, Brno. 2012. pp. 26-27 – Download Page

Dobrokhotov, Boris Vasilievich. Kontrabas: Istoriia i Metodika. Moskva: Muzyka, 1974. p. 81.

Rakov, Lev. Rakov, L. Istoriia Kontrabasovogo Iskusstva. Moskva: Kompozitor, 2004. pp. 263-264.

Warnecke, Friedrich. “Ad Infinitum.”: Der Kontrabass, Seine Geschichte Und Seine Zukunft. Probleme Und Deren Lösung Zur Hebung Des Kontrabassspiels. Hamburg: Der verfasser, 1909. p. 55.

Bruno Conservatory Web Page – Link

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        Online Dictionaries:

Brno Encyclopedia Online – Link

Český Hudební Slovník [in Czech] – Link

Nagybogo.hu – [in Hungarian] – Link

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Estate:

Unknown

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Compositions:

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        Pieces: ¹

Humoreska
Fantasie – from the motives of Eugene Onegin opera by Tchaikovsky

        Arrangements: ²

Personal edition of selected Bach Cello suites

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Methods:

Česko-hrvatská lidová a praktická škola na basu : se zřetelem pro samouky. Brno: Stožický, [1929?] – Czech National Library Record Link

Lidová a Praktická Škola Hry Na Basu (kontrabas) Se Zřetelem Na Samouky. (co-author Julius Ventruba) Brno: Jar. Stožický, [1943] 2nd. ed. – Czech National Library Record Link

Lidová a Praktická Škola Na Basu (kontrabas) Se Zřetelem Na Samouky (co-author Julius Ventruba) Brno: Jar. Stožický, [1946] 3rd. ed. – Czech National Library Record Link

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Etudes:

Technische Studien. : für Kontrabas : Tonleitern, Stricharten und gebroschene Moll-Accorde / Tl. 1, Harmonische Moll. Leipzig : Zimmermann, [1915?] – Moravian Library Record Link

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Footnotes:

¹.     Bozduganova, Svoboda. Vliv Českých Kontrabasistů na Vývoj Kontrabasové Školy v Bulharsku. B.M. Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts, Brno. p. 27 – Download Page

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².     Ibid.

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Created by Igor Pecevski

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Posted: October 25, 2014