publisher:
The double issue of Národopisná revue 3-4/1993 contains three studies and a great number of interesting news items and reviews. A study by a professor of Masaryk University in Brno, Richard Jeřábek, presents a highly instructive overview of the development of ethnography and ethnology teaching at this university from its foundation in 1919, up to the establishment of the Seminary of Ethnography and Ethnology in 1946. Jeřábek focuses on the important individuals who prepared ground for the creation of a separate Department of Ethnology, especially Professors Bohuslav Horák, Vojtěch Suk, Frank Wollman and Stanislav Souček. The most important, however, was Prof. Antonín Václavik, who completed his habilitace and was made a docent at the Philosophical Faculty of Masaryk University in 1934, but did not manage to found a separate department until after World War II.
A paper, by Dr. Martina Pavlicová, on the study of oral folklore, carried out between 1919 and 1939 at Masaryk University, is of a similar structure. She evaluates the outstanding works of literary scholarship of those individuals who worked at the Philosophical Faculty at that time. Professors Frank Wollman, Jiří Horák and Stanislav Souček each devoted a large part of their work to oral folklore and influenced a number of younger scholars, for instance Robert Smetana. Even today, their works are truly inspiring.
A study by the composer and theoretician, Prof. Jan Trojan, (Píseň jako živý útvar" - "Song as a Living Form"), deals with the musical folkloristic work of Professor Vladimír Úlehla, especially his book Živá píseň (Living Song). Trojan analyzes the melodies and harmonies of songs recorded by Úlehla, as shown in specific materials from Strážnice.
The article "O Moravském roku 1914" ("On the Moravian Year of 1914") was written by Professor Dušan Holý as a dialogue between the professor, one of his students, V. Ševčík and a colleague, Dr. M. Pavlicová. Holy denies that Journalist information on the ethnographic programmes, which took place in Brno in 1914, is true and presents an archival record which demonstrates that the event was carefully, if rather unprofessionally, prepared, but it was actually unfavorable weather that made it impossible.
A photographic Supplement to the Národopisná revue 3-4/1993 consists of a selection of photographs by Antonín Václavik from his book Luhačovské Zálesí. The selection ought to remind us that Prof. Václavík's legacy - his photodo-cumentation - is still waiting for someone to process it.
The last part of the double issue contains short articles, obituaries, reviews of folklore festivals, exhibitions and books. This time, Prof. D. Holý and Mgr. D. Štěpánková argue in the Errata column with the untrue and malevolent article of Dr. David Z. Scheffel (University College of the Cariboo) on the anthropologic ethics in Eastern Europe. They convict the author of misunderstanding and tendentious distortion.
The double issue of Národopisná revue 1-2/93 includes the second part of the study by Martina Pavlicová: Personalities from the Hi story of the Czech Ethnochoreology. In her opinion scientific exploration of folk dance in Moravia appeared somewhat later than in Bohemia. In particular František Bartoš, Martin Zeman und Leoš Janáček were outstanding personalities among the collectors. Lucie Bakešová and Xavera Běhálková introduced also practical Choreographie issues into the research efforts of those times, especially relating to the publicity of the ceremonial dance Královničky (Little Queens) and to the preparation of the performance of the Moravians on the occasion of the Czechoslavonic folklore exhibition in Prague 1895. M. Pavlicová revokes the atmosphere of the turn of the Century by quoting passages from works of the above authors.
The study devoted to Alois Hába, a significant composer, has been written by musical theoretician Jiří Vysloužil. He offers a very vivid curriculum vitae of this spectacular personality of the modern Czech music, drawing attention to his micro-tonal compositions, especially the quarter-tonal quartets and the opera Matka (Mother).
Národopisná revue continues to introduce further important photographers in the field of folklore, in offering an example from the work of Jan Koula who was active as architect by the end of 19th Century and of K. O. Hrubý from the beginnings of the second half of this Century.
The article by Josef Jančář deals with the present Situation of folk handicraft in the Czech Republic. He draws the attention of the readers especially upon the fact that the unique documentation of handicraft techniques in the former Center of Handicraft (that has been dissolved) should be not only preserved, but deserves being made füll use of, Further contributions bring Information about folklore festivals and exhibitions in the Czech and Moravian museums and about the application of Computer technology in the Institute of Folk Culture.
There are again the Errata, like last year, written by Richard Jeřábek, professor of ethnology at the Masaryk University in Brno, meticulously, yet with a fine sense of humor.
The issue ends with a list of books and periodicals obtained from international exchange by the Institute of Folk Culture in Strážnice in the course of 1992.
