THE ART, ARCHITECTURE AND MUSIC OF PRAGUE (Lecture 4 of 5) Edward Saunders, freelance lecturer LECTURE TITLES 1. The city emerges 2. Emperor Charles IV and the golden age of Bohemia 3. Jan Hus, Emperor Rudolf II and Saint John of Nepomuk 4. Baroque splendour and extravagance 5. Alphonse Mucha and Czech Art Nouveau Prague is one of the most beautiful cities of Europe and, uniquely, has remained largely unscathed by war for over three hundred years. Its fame rests upon a magnificent range of Baroque churches, palaces and public buildings embellished with art and sculpture from the eighteenth century. However, often overlooked, Prague also houses extraordinary examples of cultural works from a variety of other centuries, in particular the medieval period of the early fourteenth century and, at the other end of the time spectrum, the Art Nouveau movement. The lectures will highlight major developments in Prague’s history from its origins in the ninth century up to today, while considering representative examples of works from successive artistic periods. Throughout the lectures, relevant excerpts of Prague’s musical tradition – from religious chants and Hussite hymns to the compositions of the two towering figures of twentieth century Czech music, Smetana and Dvorak – will be introduced. http://www.summerschool.uct.ac.za/prague_art_music_arch DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in the lecture are those of the lecturer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Summer School organisers. These recordings are unedited. UCT Summer School 2016 http://www.summerschool.uct.ac.za Twitter: @UCTSummerSchool Facebook: UCT Summer School

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