Václav Dražan (1917-1979)

He was born on 16 July 1917 into the large family of Josef Dražan, a miner from Příbram. The Dražans lived together with their mother's brother, the organist, singer and choirmaster Bohumil Soukup, who educated the musically gifted brothers Josef and Václav. Václav Dražan graduated from the Příbram grammar school in 1937 and enrolled in lectures at the Department of History of Music at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University in Prague.

After the Nazis closed Czech universities in November 1939, he worked as a clerk and privately studied organ and piano playing, conducting and composing. Despite his great talent, he decided to return to Příbram and in 1944 he took the place of the aged Bohumil Fidler, the director of church music. After the war he finished his studies, defended his dissertation "Following the traces of the cantors' music in Podbrdsko" and was graduated with a doctorate in philosophy in 1947. He taught at the gymnasium, composed church music, played the organ and directed the church choir. In 1948 he married Libuša Fáměrová, PhMr.

At the beginning of the 1950s he took over the management of the Příbram Philharmonic Orchestra. As a result of social terror, he had to leave education in 1956 because of his work in the church environment. He became the archivist of the Ore Mines and thus got rid of political bullying. In his spare time he devoted himself to the Příbram Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1959 he was appointed bandmaster of the drama orchestra of the Regional Theatre in Příbram, which was composed of musicians from the Příbram Philharmonic. He then composed incidental music for the theatre.

In 1968, he returned to the Příbram gymnasium and recorded for television a group of carols with the Příbram Children's Choir, which was broadcast on the programme Příbram Nativity Scenes at Christmas 1969. Political normalisation and reproaches from the director of the gymnasium for his little political involvement made life difficult for Václav Dražan. He retired in 1977 and died unexpectedly on 22 February 1979 in a sanatorium in Pleš.

Since 1985, his musical remains (sheet music autographs) have been stored in the State District Archive in Příbram. Among them there are 40 opuses: eight masses, smaller vocal compositions for church purposes, chamber, scenic, ballet and orchestral works.

Source. Václav Dražan, State District Archive Příbram, 1994.

Processed by: PhDr. Věra Smolová, Director of SOA Příbram