Monthly Archives: September 2022

Even though I spent considerably less time taking a few photos of the Jan Hus Monument in Old Town Square than you did reading my previous post, I still had a busy day on tap trying to tick off as …

Here’s a reminder: I’m an American who was born and raised within certain parameters of Jewish tradition and who has turned away from any religious belief or practice. Thus, I hope you can forgive my ignorance about the 15th century …

If I were to ask you to name any famous Czech composers of the late 19th century you might quickly say Bedřich Smetana, or Leoš Janáček, or even Gustav Mahler. (I admit Mahler is a bit of a stretch since …

Prague before Prague. The oldest known human artifact in today’s Czechia was discovered in the Pod hradem cave near the city of Brno some 200 kilometers southeast of Prague and dates to between 48,000 and 40,000 years BP. But despite …

Salieri’s relationship with Mozart and his family. It was likely sometime after 1780 and Salieri’s return from Paris after the triumphant premiere of Les Danaïdes that Salieri and Mozart had their first professional encounter. Both Pushkin’s and Shaffer’s plays and …