Background
Tucapsky, Antonin was born on March 27, 1928 in Opatovice, Czechoslovakia. Son of Vaclav and Josefa (Sirkova) Tucapsky.
composer conductor musicologist
Tucapsky, Antonin was born on March 27, 1928 in Opatovice, Czechoslovakia. Son of Vaclav and Josefa (Sirkova) Tucapsky.
In 1947 he graduated from the Teachers’ Training College in Valašské Meziříčí. He studied in Brno before beginning his career as composer, teacher and conductor. From 1950 to 1951 he studied Choral Conducting at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts, Brno.
In 1951 he graduated from Masaryk University, Brno, in Music Education and Musicology.
Privately he studied composition with January Kunc, who was a pupil of Leoš Janáček.
From 1975 until his death he resided in Great Britain. In 1951 he took up a teaching post at the Higher Music School in Kroměříž. In 1955 Tučapský moved to Nový Jičín, where he accepted a teaching post at the Teachers’ Training College and also conducted the local mixed choir.
In 1959 he moved to Ostrava and became a lecturer at the Pedagogical Faculty there.
From 1961 he conducted the Children’s Choir of Ostrava Radio. In 1964 he became Musical Director of the Moravian Teachers’ Choir.
With this famous body of male-voices he gave many concerts in Czechoslovakia and throughout Europe and recorded regularly for Český rozhlas (Czechoslovakian Radio) and the Supraphon recording company. In 1969 he gained his Doctor of Philosophy for his book "Janacek’s Male Choruses and Their Interpretation Tradition".
In 1975 he moved to England and became a Professor of Composition at Trinity College of Music in London, where he remained until his retirement in 1996.
In 1985 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Trinity College of Music. There he had more time to develop his compositions, mostly choral or chorally based, having first performances in this country. Conversant with the various compositional theories and trends of the twentieth century, Tučapský remained essentially a tonal composer.
Masaryk University, Brno, his alma mater, bestowed on him Doctor Honoris Causa in 1996.
From 1975 Tučapský devoted much of his time to composition rather than choral conducting. His compositions have been published mostly in England, but also in the Czechoslovakian Republic, Germany, France, Canada the United States of America. Antonín Tučapský died on September 9, 2014 at the age of 86.
Member Composers Guild Great Britain, Royal Society Musicians Great Britain, Czechoslovak Society Arts and Sciences, Association of Czechoslovakia Composers, Prague.
Married Beryl Musgrave, October 13, 1972.