Dobroslav Orel

Prof. PhDr. Dobroslav Orel was a Czech Roman Catholic priest, musicologist, educator, cultural organizer, and choral conductor. He was a prominent cultural figure who played a foundational role in the development of Slovak musicology.

He completed his theological studies in Hradec Králové and subsequently pursued musicology at the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague (present-day Charles University), where he studied under Otakar Hostinský; mensural notation with Emil Bezecný; and composition with Vítězslav Novák. In 1914, he earned his doctorate from the University of Vienna under the supervision of Guido Adler—one of the founding figures of modern systematic musicology—by defending a dissertation entitled Der Mensuralkodex Speciálník (Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Mensuralmusik in Böhmen).

Between 1907 and 1919, Orel held teaching positions in Prague, including instruction in liturgical chant at the Prague Conservatory. He also served as editor-in-chief of the journal Cyril. As a scholar, he specialized in sacred music and initially focused his research on Czech hymnology.

In 1919, he relocated to Bratislava, where, along with other Czech intellectuals, he contributed significantly to the cultural and institutional development of Slovakia.

Initially appointed professor of church music at the Catholic Faculty of Theology, he became professor of musicology at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in 1921. There, he established the Seminar of Musicology (later transformed into the Department of Musicology in 1953) and its associated library, which he directed from 1922 onward. In the years 1933 to 1934, he simultaneously lectured on musicology at the Theological Institute of the Franciscans in Bratislava.

“He lectured on the history of music from antiquity to the contemporary period, with particular emphasis on 17th- and 18th-century Czech music. Among major figures in European music history, he dedicated separate lecture series to Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt, while among domestic composers, he focused on Smetana, Dvořák, and Bella. He also devoted considerable attention to chamber and vocal music, as well as to the development of opera, the oratorio, and polyphony.” (Janek, 1999)

In addition to his core teaching areas, Orel engaged with Slovak music, folk traditions, music paleography, and aesthetics.

He was instrumental in training the first generation of Slovak musicologists, including Konštantín Hudec, František Zagiba, Zdenka Bokesová, and music critic Ivan Ballo. “Thanks to Professor Orel, the university setting became a platform for numerous initiatives that extended beyond the academic sphere and made a substantial contribution to the cultural life of Bratislava.” (Janek, 1999)

He organized music evenings and public lectures, and also founded a music education department within the Musicology Seminar, where he trained future music educators. He became the first head of the Society for Music Education in Bratislava, established in 1935.

In 1921, he founded the Academic Choral Association, where he served as choirmaster and conductor. Comprising professional vocalists, the ensemble promoted Slovak and Czech music and performed at academic, national, and international events, including in Vienna, Poznań, and Prague.

He was a member of the Phonographic Commission of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts and collaborated with foreign universities, as demonstrated, for instance, by his membership in the Musicology Circle at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

In addition, he represented the Ministry of Education on the board of trustees of the newly established Music School for Slovakia in Bratislava (1919), where he had the right to participate in decisions affecting the school’s operations. 

As an organizer, Orel participated in the preparation of commemorative events dedicated to Smetana (1924) and Dvořák (1929), as well as the Congress for Folk Song held in 1938 in Bratislava and Trenčianske Teplice.

He was an active member of the Cooperative of the Slovak National Theatre (Družstvo Slovenského národného divadla), an institution supporting the dramatic arts and theatre production. He later served on its board and temporarily assumed the position of secretary in 1929.

In his scholarly work, Orel extended his interests beyond Czech and Slovak music history to include cataloguing of historical musical sources and research on Slovak folk songs, conducted in cooperation with the State Institute for Folk Song. He initiated field research in historical musicology and was actively involved in various cultural and public activities.

He contributed to the promotion of works by Slovak composers such as Štefan Fajnor, Milan Lichard, Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský, and Viliam Figuš-Bystrý, as well as to the dissemination of works by Vítězslav Novák and Leoš Janáček in Bratislava.

He played a pivotal role in the return of Ján Levoslav Bella from Sibiu (Transylvania) to Slovakia, thus facilitating the composer’s reintegration into Slovak musical life. Orel was instrumental in the 1926 Slovak-language premiere of Bella’s opera Wieland the Smith (Kováč Wieland), translated by Vladimír Roy. He also supported Bella’s national compositions (such as the cantatas Svadba Jánošíka, Divný zbojník, and several choral works). Bella’s oeuvre was collected and archived in the Musicology Seminar Library at Comenius University under Orel’s stewardship.

In 1939, owing to the adverse political situation, he returned to Prague, where he resumed his scholarly work, preparing a critical edition of the Speciálník manuscript from Hradec Králové. He passed away in 1942 following a heart attack.

Among his most important works are the Rukověť chorálu římského (Manuscript of the Roman Chant, 1899) and the articles Hudební prvky Svatováclavské (Musical Elements of the St. Wenceslas Tradition, 1937), Kancionál Franusův (The Canon of Franus, 1922) and Počátky umělého vícehlasu v Čechách  (The Beginnings of Artificial Multi-voice in Bohemia, 1922) published in the journal Cyril. With a link to Slovakia, these are the publications František Liszt a Bratislava na základě nevydané korrespondence Fr. Liszta a kněžny Wittgensteinové  (František Liszt and Bratislava based on the unpublished correspondence of Fr. Liszt and Princess Wittgenstein, 1925), Hudební památky Františkánské knihovny v Bratislavě (Musical Monuments of the Franciscan Library in Bratislava, 1930), Ján Levoslav Bella. K 80. narozeninám nestora slovenské hudby (Ján Levoslav Bella. On the 80th Birthday of the Pioneer of Slovak Music, 1924), Hudobný rozbor Bellovej opery Kováč Wieland (Musical Analysis of Bella's Opera Kováč Wieland, 1926), Vítězslav Novák a Slovensko (Vítězslav Novák and Slovakia, cycle of lectures, 1928), Hudební památky Slovenska (Musical Monuments of Slovakia, 1931) and Štefan Fajnor, slovenský skladatel (Štefan Fajnor, Slovak Composer, 1935).