Czech Organ Compositions I (ed. Josef Popelka)
Composers whose music appears in this album (K. F. Pitsch, J. L. Zvonař, J. Křejčí, F. Skuherský, J. Suk) are all closely connected with the Prague organ school (or the Prague Conservatory, since these two institutions merged in 1889).
The organ school was established in 1830 by the Czech Church Music Association; the official title was the Institute for Organists’ and Church Choirmasters’ Education (Ústav ku vzdělání varhaníků a ředitelů kůru), and the intention was to provide students with the skills and knowledge
necessary for the purpose of church music practice. Initially, the course lasted one year; in 1835 it was extended to a two-year study, and in 1871 the third year was added. While the Prague Conservatory (opened in 1811) offered only selected instrumental fields of study at first (and from 1815 also voice performance classes), the organ school led the students mainly to master the practical side of music theory (basso continuo; counterpoint; harmony; composition theory basics). In less than sixty years of its self-contained existence, the organ school became an important educational institution that surpassed substantially the original intentions of its founders, and brought up several generations of organists, choirmasters, and above all also
composers.