Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author / CC BY-SA 3.0 cz (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Bohuslav Martinů is one of those composers who genuinely fascinates me the more I learn about him — the guy literally grew up living in a church tower in a small Czech town, which feels almost too on-the-nose for someone who would go on to write music that floats between the earthly and the otherworldly. He fled the Nazis, landed in Paris, then made his way to America, and through all of that displacement he kept composing at a staggering pace — six symphonies, fifteen operas, ballets, chamber works, you name it. His opera Julietta in particular is this gorgeous, dreamlike thing where reality keeps slipping away, and I think only someone who truly knew what it felt like to lose home could have written it. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1953, never made it back to Czechoslovakia, and died in Switzerland in 1959 — a restless, brilliant exile whose music deserves far more ears than it gets.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Bohuslav Martinů
- Name (Japanese)
- ボフスラフ・マルティヌー
- Reading
- ぼふすらふ・まるてぃぬー
- Born
- December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Tiger
- Origin
- Polička, Pardubice Region, Czech Republic
- Occupation
- classical composer / librettist / composer / draftsperson / violinist
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1953 Guggenheim Fellowship
- Rome Prize
- 1991 Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, 2nd class
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Ariane | — | |
| Notable work | Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra | — | |
| Notable work | Les Larmes du couteau | — | |
| Notable work | What Men Live By | — | |
| Notable work | The Opening of the Wells | — | |
| Notable work | Juliette | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Bohuslav Martinů born?
December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959.
Where is Bohuslav Martinů from?
Bohuslav Martinů is from Polička, Pardubice Region, Czech Republic.
What does Bohuslav Martinů do?
Bohuslav Martinů works as classical composer, librettist, composer, draftsperson, violinist.
What is Bohuslav Martinů known for?
Notable works include Ariane, Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra, Les Larmes du couteau.
Librettist — see all → · More people from Czech Republic →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.