He made an indelible mark in the history of Czech and thus Czechoslovak ethnomusicology with his in-depth research into folk music and songs in Horňácko and elsewhere, and also with the range of songs he recorded. In addition, he laid the foundations for study into the Romani Holocaust. On 25 April this year, Horňácko-born ethnographer and singer Dušan Holý would have celebrated his 92nd birthday. He left us forever in January, but he left behind a body of work that deserves to be remembered.
One such commemoration took place on 6 May in Brno's HaDivadlo. The Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments (BROLN) with its soloists, Horňácká muzika Petra Mičky and presenters Jiří Plocek and Břetislav Rychlík commemorated this legend with honour and the touch of humour we know them for.
As with the life and work of Dušan Holý, the concert alternated between two aspects of folk song. The first, faithful to tradition and rooted in the natural setting of the region, was performed by Horňácká muzika Petra Mičky. The second - highly stylized and reworked for the needs of a concert - was performed in arrangements for BROLN currently headed by Petr Varmuža.
Both aspects had their place in the concert and everyone enjoyed the one they prefer. Most of the time, however, the sold-out house enjoyed both. BROLN opened the concert with Brezovské tance arranged by Jaroslav Jakubíček. The work, heard back in 1977 on the legendary BROLN 25 album entitled Na pěknú notečku (On a Nice Note), was released to mark the ensemble's twenty-fifth anniversary. The opener continued with older, more iconic arrangements, with three soloists and one female soloist taking the stage in turn. They are all worthy successors of the previous generation of singers.
One strong moment was the song Orie Janík orie performed by Aleš Smutný. It was a work that his father, the legendary singer Jaroslav Smutný, had managed to record in the radio studio with BROLN just before he passed away. Kamila Tomšejová appeared with a song previously interpreted by Jarmila Šuláková or Věra Příkazská. Tribute was also paid to Luboš Holý - the brother of Dušan Holý - and an equally prominent figure on the Moravian folklore scene. Michal Janošek sang a series of songs from his repertoire at HaDivadlo.
I enjoyed the carefully compiled programme as well as the approach taken by the contemporary soloists. They consciously avoid imitating their famous predecessors and offer their own interpretative take and style.
Of course, tribute was also paid to Dušan Holý. The song "Letěl, letěl roj", arranged by Jaroslav Jurášek, was performed by Petr Mička - a contemporary singer continuing the Horňácko vocal and musical tradition. I'm very happy that he has taken up this task. Although Horňácko has a myriad of exceptional singers, it's his vocal timbre that suits this song. Nevertheless, it should be said that Dušan Holý's deep experience remains quite unique in this composition and it's hard to find a substitute today.
In the second block, BROLN also presented one of the few adaptations penned by Dušan Holý himself. It was a composition called Šuchom. Personally, I'm sorry that we'll probably never know more about the name itself, as I know this dance from the Slovak village of Kokava nad Rimavicou under the name Šuchon. This arrangement is one of my favourites - the original folk prelude is almost meditative and Dušan Holý's orchestral arrangement has further accentuated this repetitive and unusual musical line.
The dramaturgy of the evening bore a distinct trace of Jaroslav Jurášek, and it was perhaps no coincidence that his adaptations formed the bulk of the programme. It was Jurášek who co-founded BROLN with his colleagues Antonín Jančík and Jaromír Nečas back in 1951. The fourth of these orchestra founders was the youngest, then eighteen-year-old Dušan Holý.
BROLN alternated in the programme with Horňácká muzika Petra Mičky, which, despite its frequent gigs, has lost none of its enthusiasm and spark that all lovers of the Horňácko tradition know and love. For this evening, the band chose a repertoire made up of songs noted down by Dušan Holý during his field research. The evening also included funeral chants were sung, which are amazing proof of the feeling and invention contained in folk music, which Dušan Holý was able to seek and find.
I always enjoy the song Bola jedna dziewčka (There was a girl), which Professor Holý got from Durák, a singer from Nový Lhota. Even the mysterious Hungarian phrasing in the refrain reminds us how layered a folk song can be if you know how to search through it like Dušan Holý did.
Apart from the musical aspect, which as always was flawlessly played by both ensembles, the concert featured several other moments worth mentioning. I'd like to highlight the two presenters Plocek and Rychlík, who had impressed me during last year's On the Border of Genres concert dedicated to Jaromír Nečas. I was very pleased with them this time too. Although both men, their different personalities and characters create a lively level of tension that's not short on respect for one another, humour and insight. Both of them were also friends with Dušan Holý, which added an authenticity to their words that would be hard for an outsider to grasp.
The audience - largely made up of Dušan Holý's friends, mainly ethnologists - also added to the homely and cordial atmosphere. The participants included Hana Dvořáková from the Ethnographic Institute of the Moravian Museum and Miroslav Válka from the Department of European Ethnology at Masaryk University. Singer Hana Ulrychová, for example, is a member of the art world, while the folklore enthusiasts included Vlastimil Ondra, head of Bánov Primary School, accompanied by children. However, members of Dušan Holý's close family were also in attendance; besides his son and grandson, everyone was happy to see his wife Ludmila.
I'm sure that the evening at the HaDivadlo was not the last time that we'll commemorate Professor Dušan Holý, and that we'll have many more similar meetings to come. The only thing gatherings like these will be missing is the man himself. I firmly believe that he's at least listening with his critical ear.
No comment added yet..