Kotzwara, Frantisek

Wiki entry: Frantisek Kotzwara

International Music Score Library Project [IMSLP] entry: Frantisek Kotzwara

Frantisek, or Franz, Kotzwara [1730-1791] was a Bohemian musician and composer. He is best known for his sticky, indeed notorious, end; which is scarcely suitable to be recounted here but is summarised in the Wiki article and in Frantisek Kotzwara : Dying For A Quick One - Rogues Gallery Online 1797 .

PieceMP3MidiGenre
The Battle of Prague MIDI   harpsichord   salon  
The Battle of Prague, Turkish March and Finale
The Battle of Prague is sub-titled A Favorite Sonata for the Harpsichord or Piano Forte. It was written in 1788 or 1789, and describes the Battle of Prague of 1757, during the Seven Years War. It was enormously popular from when it was written right through the 19thC, and is much mentioned in literature of the period, eg by Jane Austen, but it became deeply unfashionable, and much scorned, in the 20thC. Indeed, it was a sneering comment by Percy Scholes in The Oxford Companion to Music that led me to think it couldn't be as bad as all that and to seek out a copy.
For a description of the battle, see Wiki.
A slow march is followed [1m56s] by the word of command and various trumpet calls. The battle proper [2m58s] contains an attack, flying bullets, cannons, light dragoons and horses. To be honest, there are better battle pieces. At the end [6m58s] a trumpet sounds the recall, leaving only the cries of the wounded [6m12s], followed [5m58s] by the trumpet of victory and [7m54s] God Save the KING. The piece is rounded off by a quickstep Turkish march [9m20s], with its insistent and catchy "left, left, left right left" rhythm, and an allegro finale [10m6s], interrupted [10m48s] by Go to bed, Tom, apparently the traditional phrase uttered as the drummer tapped out the bedtime signal at the end of the military day.
Nine minutes is a long time to wait for the Turks, so I've also given the Turkish March and the Finale as a separate MP3 file.
Sequenced from what looks like an 18thC copy in my collection, published by Preston & Son, Strand. IMSLP has several versions; I haven't checked any of them for authenticity and accuracy compared with mine.
I initially sequenced this piece for harpsichord, as per the title page; some parts work well that way, especially as a modern concert grand is obviously unsuitable. Ideally, I should have used an 18thC fortepiano; the Midi "honky-tonk piano" has to substitute, and I quite like the effect. Old pianos often have an assortment of bells and drums for making more and different noises; in addition, some versions of the piece (not mine) have unscored parts for trumpet and drums ad lib. The opportunity was too good to resist.


Sequencing: Copyright © Andy Walker, 2009, 2016, 2020. You may use all my work freely for private purposes; commercial use is permitted only with my permission.

    Andy Walker, anw [at] cuboid4.me.uk [remove digit to construct address]