Czech composer Josef Ceremuga was born on 14 June 1930 in Ostrava-Kuncice. He has dedicated himself to music since the age of eleven, when he started to learn violin play at the Janacek School of Music in Ostrava-Vitkovice simultaneously with his studies at a secondary school. Then he studied composition at the Faculty of Music of the Prague Academy of Arts and Music in the class of Jaroslav Ridky and Vaclav Dobias and quarter-tone music with Alois Haba. After graduation he became one of the first post-graduate students at the Academy (1953 - 1956). Soon he assumed a prominent place in our musical culture not only as a composer, but
also as a worker of important institutions. In 1967 he was named assistant professor at the Film Faculty of the Academy of Arts and Music where he was active till 1960 in the cabinet of sound composition, between 1969 -1974 he was Dean of that Faculty. Since 1980 he has been with the Faculty of Music of the Academy, since 1982 as Professor of composition, at present also Dean. In 1981 he was named Artist of Merit. Josef Ceremuga s creation undergoes continuous development without distinct watersheds. He started off from the living Moravian folk music tradition and, in this connection, the works by Janacek and Martinu. He added to that basis creative mastering and development of the legacy of Smetana and Dvorak and some 20th century classics - above all Prokofyev. He develops in particular melodies to new shapes. His creation is centred round broad-range lyrics as a specific reflection of his attitude to the present-day life. That is in harmony with the second aspect of Ceremuga s creation - natural and spontaneous musicality. For this reason his music is close to listeners, all his compositions see many repetitions. A number of compositions were published and gramophone recorded. Some were awarded prizes. With great success abroad met his Symphony No. 3, String Quartet No. 3, Quintet for Violin, Viola, Violoncello, Flute and Oboe and the Prague Symfonietta which were played almost in the whole of Europe, some of them in the USA. Important section of his compositional activity is his creation for film and television (also for Iceland, Italy, and the FRG) which always carries all traits of Ceremuga's creative personality.
Web: http://www.musica.cz/comp/ceremuga.htm