Bohemia Bach Research Paper

The “Bohemian Bach” Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský, or the “Czech Bach”, was a renowned Bohemian composer and organist. He was born and died (1684 - 1742) during the late Baroque era (1680 - 1750), around the same time as Johann Sebastian Bach. Some of his most famous works are the Regina Coeli and Litaniae Lauretanae de Beatae Virginis Maria Victoriosa. He was also rebellious throughout his life and because of this he spent most of his life alone. Černohorský’s first music teacher was his father who was a schoolmaster and organist, and later he was taught by Jesuits, a Roman Catholic order of priests. He spent two years at Prague University, which is where he met his mentor Tomáš Baltazar Janovka, a notable music theorist and lexicographer and organist at the Týn Church. It’s widely believed that Janovka inspired Černohorský and furthered his knowledge about music theory, while also introducing him to foreign music, more specifically music from their neighbors, the Franciscans in The Old Town of Prague.
His punishment was to be conducted in Horaždovic, where he was “torture by fasting” and stripped of his degrees and his family was denied from the convent. While in Horaždovic, his musical talents where acknowledged and this period is widely believed to be the time that was the most peacefully creative part of his life. He wrote his most famous piece, Laudetur Jesus Christus, which was released in print in the same year. Kretzschmar, a German musicologist, has notarized this piece as “unique among all the older fugues” and nicknamed Černohorský as the “Czech Bach”. Černohorský’s fugue ‘Memento Abraham’, which represents his musical talent, was used in two other works, one of which was the motet Precatus est Moyses. Černohorský’s fugue was acknowledged as one of the unique parts of both works. His last work to ever be performed was the fugue, Quem