The Přemyslid Dynasty
(870-1306)
Prior to the fall of Great Moravia, Bohemia seceded and joined the Kingdom of Eastern Franks (Holy Roman Empire). Bořivoj I, the Duke of Bohemia, retained his position, becoming the first ruler in the Přemyslid hereditary line. Bohemia was comprised of tribal princedoms, but they operated democratically. No princedom could rule over another, they shared a collective army, and the princes always negotiated in the interest of Bohemia at large. Though Bohemia held vassal ties to the Holy Roman Empire, it remained a sovereign state. In an extraordinary turn of events, Bohemia annexed Moravia — the very state from which they seceded — as a margravate in the early 11th century. In 1212, Přemysl Otakar II recived the Golden Bull of Sicily, effectively establishing the Kingdom of Bohemia as one with hereditary princes and kings.
Though the political achievements of Bohemia were monumental, the advances in music are few, in comparison. Tangible musical records scarcely survive from the Přemyslid Dynasty, although some development of music did indeed occur. It is generally believed that paganism and by extension, folk music, existed in the Czech Lands until the 11th century.
The sacred music realm, however, thrived. Bořivoj established the first Bohemian church in Levý Hradec, and a bishopric was founded in Prague in 973. Church institutions and monasteries became essential in the development of vocal music, mostly in the form of Latin chant and plainsong. Beginning around the 11th century, religious institutions began to transcribe chants into Czech. “Hospodine pomiluj ny” (Lord, Have Mercy on Us) is the oldest surviving Czech chant, from as early as 1055.
Liturgical reform began in the 13th century, and new chants (in Czech) appear by the 14th century, mostly honoring Czech saints. “Svatý Václav” (Saint Wenceslas), a gradual from the late 12th century, is the most widely known example. It was even used by composers such as Antonín Dvořák, Vítězslav Novák, and Josef Suk in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The first mentionings of secular music arrived in Bohemia in the 13th and 14th centuries in the form of courtly love songs. Many Minnesingers and trouvères were present at the Přemyslid court: Reinmar von Zwetter as early as 1236; Tannhäuser by 1250; as well as Guillaume de Machaut, Neihardt von Reuenthal, and Heinrich von Meissen.
The Middle Age Bohemian love songs were inspired by Southern French trouvères, and such early examples in Czech include “Dřevo se listem odievá” (Trees are Putting on Leaves) and “Jižť mne vše radost ostává” (All Joy is Waning), though no music survives.
For all the success of the Přemyslids, their dynastic reign was short lived. With the assassination of King Wenceslas (Václav) III in 1306, the Přemyslid Dynasty became extinct; there were no other male heirs. The last remaining female, Elisabeth, was married to the Holy Emperor’s son, John (Jan), who was elected King of Bohemia in 1310, marking the beginning of the next dynastic ruling family: the House of Luxembourg.
“Hospodine pomiluj ny”
The Luxembourg Dynasty was the indisputable height of Czech music during the Middle Ages, in which both sacred and secular music saw great development. The ruler who gained the most prestige and power was Charles the IV (Karel, 1346-1378), son of Jan and Elisabeth, and is lauded as one of the most important Czechs since time immemorial. With Charles’s leadership, the House of Luxembourg solidified its presence amongst other Houses within the Holy Roman Empire. He was instrumental in the elevation of the Prague bishopric to archbishopric in 1344, and served as the Margrave of Moravia for a short time. His efforts were not in vain, for in 1346, Charles was elected the head of the Holy Roman Empire. A year later, he was crowned King of Bohemia and made Prague his capital seat at Karlštejn. In 1355, he was formally crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome — and the head of all Christendom.
For all his political achievements, Charles was a champion of education and the arts. With the founding of Prague University in 1348, Prague became not only a political center of Europe, but one of learning and culture. Liturgical books and church choirs sprouted throughout the kingdom (thanks to the now Archbishopric of Prague), and more Czech translations of Latin chant emerged, as well as sacred strophic songs.
Secular music flourished, as well, but not in the vocal music realm but, rather, the instrumental realm. Fewer German Minnesingers remained at Court, setting the scene for the cultivation of polyphonic instrumental music in form of ars antiqua motets.
If the reign of Charles IV was one of evolution and prosperity for the Czech lands, then the reign of his son, Wenceslas IV (1378-1419) was one of strife. Noble rebellions, imprisonment, and economic crisis plagued Wenceslas’s reign, as well as the Great Schism and beginnings of Protestant reformation. Though he supported the pope, Wenceslas also protected Jan Hus, the Bohemian religious former and leader of the eponymous Hussites. Many saw the Great Schism as a time of moral decay in the church, and the Hussites wished for reform against their oppressors.
The impending Hussite Revolution was one of the most significant events in Czech history — and it changed the course of Czech medieval music.