The Kapralova Companion, edited by Karla Hartl and Erik Entwistle, is a collection of biographical and analytical essays on Czech composer Vitezslava Kapralova [1915-1940]. Accompanied by an annotated catalog of works, annotated chronology of life events, bibliography, discography, and a list of published works, The Kapralova Companion is an essential, comprehensive guide to the composer’s life and music. It is also the first book published on Kapralova in English.
As readers will discover, the work of Vitezslava Kapralova represents a progressive and distinctive voice in inter-war Czech musical culture. Despite her untimely death at the age of twenty-five, Kapralova created an impressive body of work that has earned her the distinction of being considered the most important woman composer in the history of Czech music.
Editors Hartl and Entwistle have gathered a roster of scholars from the United States, Canada, and the Czech Republic, whose contributions to The Kapralova Companion cover a variety of topics relevant to Kapralova and her times. It is not only be a welcome starting point for scholars and music lovers, but its critical essays also advance thought-provoking assessments of her music, engender further inquiries into aspects of her life and work, and inspire a new generation of performers.