Despite the difficult conditions in the Bohemian lands during and after the Thirty Years’ War in the first half of the 17th century, the Baroque style gradually began to develop, despite being slightly behind the rest of Europe. Browse our sheet music and scores, and discover all the wonderful Czech Baroque Music with Stretta today!
With the advent of the Baroque era, the Czech people were re-Catholicized by the Habsburgs. They built many Catholic churches, and these had to be filled with music. Church and organ music was at the centre of the work for almost all Czech composers of the time.
An important composer who was the driving force of the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque Period was poet and scholar Adam Václav Michna von Otradovic (1600*-1676). He tried to actively fight against the cultural decline in the period after the Battle of The White Mountain (1621), after which the majority of the Protestant intellectual and cultural elite fled the country. Through his tireless work, he created a new surge in Czech baroque music, and became a role model for future generations. Michna composed in the early Italian baroque style, but he also often used elements from the Renaissance. The vast majority of the 230 surviving works are sacred. In addition to Latin texts, he also set his own native Czech poetry to music.
An important high baroque figure is Pavel Josef Vejvanovský (1640-1693). He worked as a court trumpeter, organist and later as director of the court orchestra of the Bishop of Olomouc. He wrote both secular instrumental music, mainly for wind instruments, and sacred music. A total of around 120 compositions have been preserved. His style of composition is based on modal principles, complemented by rich melodies, with clear Moravian folk roots.
Pavel Vejvanovský was colleagues for two years in the Olomouc Chapel with the Austro-Czech composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704). However, he soon went to Salzburg, where he got a position as Kapellmeister of the archbishop’s court orchestra. He wrote mainly instrumental compositions, sonatas and sacred music.
The most important composer of the Baroque period is undoubtably Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745). Zelenka trained in Prague, and then in 1710 moved to Dresden, where he spent his entire artistic life in the service of the royal court, first as a double bass player, and later as court composer. Due to the exceptional quality of his unconventional works, he is often compared to J. S. Bach. Zelenka devoted himself primarily to large-scale sacred vocal, instrumental works. Over 250 of his compositions have been preserved to this day.
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No. 7/8)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3656
Weihnachtsoratorium (Erstdruck)
for: Mixed choir (SATB), string orchestra, organ; 2 horns ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 657000
for: Violine und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Einzelstimme Violoncello/Kontrabass rip.
Item no.: 784719
for clarinet and orchestra
for: Klarinette und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Single part Violin 1
Item no.: 793575
for: Harpsichord [piano], string orchestra
Single part Viola
Item no.: 783784
for: Trumpet, strings, basso continuo
Single part viola 2
Item no.: 783836
for: Trumpet, strings, basso continuo
Einzelstimme Violine ad lib.
Item no.: 783855
for clarinet and piano
for: Klarinette und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Single part Cello/Double bass
Item no.: 793578
for: Trumpet, strings, basso continuo
Single part Violin 1
Item no.: 783826
op. 10/1
for: Harpsichord [piano], string orchestra
Single part Cello/Double bass
Item no.: 783771
for clarinet and orchestra
for: Klarinette und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Single part Viola
Item no.: 793577
for clarinet and orchestra
for: Klarinette und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Single part Violin 2
Item no.: 793576
for: Harpsichord [piano], string orchestra
Single part Violin 1
Item no.: 783775
for: Trumpet, strings, basso continuo
Single part Cello/Double bass
Item no.: 784485
(Theme)
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 723360
op. 10/1
for: Harpsichord [piano], string orchestra
Single part Violin 2
Item no.: 783765
for: Violine und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Single part Horn 1
Item no.: 784714
for: Trumpet, strings, basso continuo
Single part Viola 1
Item no.: 783857
op. 10/1
for: Harpsichord [piano], string orchestra
Single part Violin 3
Item no.: 783773
for clarinet and orchestra
for: Klarinette und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Single part Horn 1
Item no.: 793573
for: Violine und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Single part Horn 2
Item no.: 784715
for clarinet and orchestra
for: Klarinette und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Single part Horn 2
Item no.: 793574
for: Violine und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Einzelstimme Violine I rip.
Item no.: 784716
for: Violine und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Einzelstimme Violine II rip.
Item no.: 784717
for: Violine und Streichorchester; 2 Hörner ad libitum
Einzelstimme Viola rip.
Item no.: 784718
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No. 5/6)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3490
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No.3/4)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3485
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No.1/2)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3477
"Dresdner Konzert"
Pegasus Orchester Archiv
for: Violin, string orchestra
Violin 2 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 330136
for: Mixed choir; basso continuo ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 314154
"Dresdner Konzert"
Pegasus Orchester Archiv
for: Violin, string orchestra
Cello, double bass (orchestral part)
Item no.: 330138
"Dresdner Konzert"
Pegasus Orchester Archiv
for: Violin, string orchestra
Viola (orchestral part)
Item no.: 330137
for: 5 soloists (SSATB), mixed choir (SSATB), orchestra, basso continuo
Single part Clarino (trumpet) 2
Item no.: 1669166
From "The Sufferings of the Queen of France" (No. 9/10)
for: Harpsichord [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 3672
for: 5 soloists (SSATB), mixed choir (SSATB), orchestra, basso continuo
Single part Clarino (trumpet) 1
Item no.: 1669165
for: SBFL 1
Orchesterstimme
Item no.: 633058
for: 4 recorders (SATB quartet)
Single part Bass recorder
Item no.: 633141
for: Treble recorder
Single part
Item no.: 633187
for: SBFL 2
Orchesterstimme
Item no.: 633081
for: 4 recorders (SATB quartet)
Single part Tenor recorder
Item no.: 633128
Harmonia-Mixed Choir
for: Mixed choir (SATB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 907538
aus: "Sonatae tam Aris, quam Aulis servientes"
Salzburg, 1676
for: 2 trumpets
Ensemble score (pdf download)
Item no.: 4558
ChaB 50
for: Mixed choir (SATB), basso continuo
Single part Basso continuo
Item no.: 685620
Harmonia-Mixed Choir
for: Mixed choir (SATB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 913546
"Dresdner Konzert"
Pegasus Orchester Archiv
for: Violin, string orchestra
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 330135
Süddeutsche Weihnachtsmusik Band 10
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Choir score
Item no.: 218509
Das liederliche Schwärmen der Musquetirer, Mars, die Schlacht, Undt Lamento der Verwundten, mit Arien imitirt Und Baccho dedicirt
for: Strings, basso continuo
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 645387
Das liederliche Schwärmen der Musquetirer, Mars, die Schlacht, Undt Lamento der Verwundten, mit Arien imitirt Und Baccho dedicirt
for: Strings, basso continuo
Viola 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 672677