Chamber Music

"I have had one student here, a promising talent and a very good young man, I sincerely recommend him to you, put in a good word for him when he comes back, take him to your class; he is your namesake, I think you have played some of his pieces in Prague. His name is Novák, I am full of hope, since he is not only talented but also sensitive..." This is a fragment of a letter from Bohuslav Martinu to Karl Novák of 14 February 1948 in which he mentions his student Jan Novák. Jan Novák (born on 8 April 1921 in Nová Ríše, died on 17 November 1984 in Ulm) was a Czech composer and pianist who would combine various influences in his music, including Classical period, Czech folklore, dodecaphony, and jazz inspirations. The composer's out-put is very varied in terms of instrumental selection. Apart from solo pieces for such instruments as guitar, organ, harpsichord, flute, violin, or piano, we find therein works for two, three, or more instruments. He also com-posed cantatas, film, ballet, theatre music, music for solo voice with accompaniment, and orchestral works.