Koželuh, Jan Antonín (EN)

Koželuh, Koželuch, Kotzeluch, Koscheluch, Goscheloch, Jan Antonín, Jan Evangelista Antonín Tomáš, baptised 14 December 1738 Velvary (near Kralupy), †3 February 1814 Prague, Czech composer, concert master, teacher. He studied under the Jesuits in Brenitz (1751–1757). Later, he stayed in Prague for some time. In 1759–62, he was a cantor (teaching music and leading the choir) in schools in Rakovník and Velvary; then, he was a chorister (bass) in a few churches in Prague and studied under J. Seger. Around 1763–66, he studied in Vienna under F.L. Gassmann, J.A. Hasse and Ch.W. Gluck, and in 1766, he settled in Prague, where he composed and taught singing and piano playing. In 1768, a Prague Kotzen Theatre staged his first Italian opera Alessandro nell’Indie, and in 1771 the second, Il Demofoonte. In the 1770s, J.A. Koželuh conducted a choir of the Monastery church of Saint Francis of Assisi that was famous for its prominence; in 1776 and 1777, his oratories were performed there. From 1784 to the end of his life, he was a concert master in St. Vitus Cathedral (they wanted to employ him already in 1771, but the other choristers were protesting against that attempt); he collected 439 compositions there, among others, by F.X. Brixi, A. Caldara, J.A. Hasse, and M. Haydn. His students included i.a., L. Koželuh, J.J. Ryba, J.A. Vitásek, his daughter Barbara (*ca. 1784) and sons: Václav František (†ca. 1839) and Vincent Emanuel (1780–1839), who were active pianists and teachers in Prague in the 1^st half of the 19^th century.

J.A. Koželuh was a very prolific composer; it is difficult to determine his oeuvre today due to the wrong attribution of his compositions to his cousin Leopold. It is estimated that J.A. Koželuh is the author of around 400 works. Associated with choral works from his youth, J.A. Koželuh initially perfected traditional polyphonic techniques; after settling in Prague, he gravitated towards the style of the late Neapolitan school, abundantly using coloratura arias da capo in oratorios and operas, and also recitativo accompagnato in the opera Demofoonte. These works are characterised by a close connection between the dramatic action and the orchestral part that was shaped under the Mannheim school and played an important role. The religious works written after 1784 show a reduction in coloratura and a return to polyphony; they remained vital even after J.A. Koželuh’s death, as did the Bassoon Concerto. Nowadays, he is perceived (along with J. Mysliveček) as one of the first Czech opera composers.

Literature: R. Firkle Jan.Ev.Ant. Koželuh: Život, dílo a osobnost svatovítského kapelnika, Prague 1946 (includes a list of works by J.A. Koželuh); J. Čech Jan Evangelista Antonín Tomáš Koželuh v Rakovníku, “Věstník” XXXVIII, 2000; K. Hálová Koželuhova operní prvotina na scéně Divadla v Kotcích, “Hudební věda” XXXVIII, 2001; L. Mikulášová Johann Anton Koželuch (1738–1814) ve sbírce Ondřeje Horníka, “Muzikologické fórum” I, 2012; L. Mikulášová Johann Anton Koželuch (1738–1814) – Život a dílo, dissertation, Prague 2014.