From Prayer for Marta to Jožin z bažin: New songbook marks Velvet Revolution anniversary
A unique songbook marking the upcoming anniversary of the Velvet Revolution has just been released in Czechia. Initiated by the NGO Díky, že můžem or Thanks, that we can, it contains 17 tracks that capture the spirit of their time, from underground and protest songs to communist-era mainstream hits.
Muchomurky bílé, a song by the legendary underground rock musician Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa, is one of the 17 tracks included in the songbook Písničkou ke svobodě (Through a song to freedom), marking the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.
Initiated by the NGO Díky, že můžem, it includes songs that are still widely played to this day, but many people are no longer aware of the context in which they were created, explains the NGO’s Adéla Hrdličková:
“We organize the annual celebration of the Velvet Revolution, called Korzo národní, and during the whole year, we also try to educate the young generation who didn’t experience life in communist Czechoslovakia. So this is part of the effort, because the book is not just about the songs, but also about the era in which they were made.”
The songs are divided into five categories: the relaxed sixties, Czech covers of Western hits, 1968 occupation protest songs, the Normalization mainstream, and the underground. Ms. Hrdličková says selecting just seventeen tracks was not an easy task:
“Seventeen is a symbolic number, referring to November 17, but it is also a very small number for 30 years of Czechoslovak music. So I tried to do a really thorough research and I cherry picked the songs that represent the changes in culture, politics and society, from the 1960s to 1989.”
Among the 17 tracks is the iconic protest song against the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Karel Kryl’s Bratříčku, zavírej vrátka. The Czech covers of western hits are represented by Časy se mění, a rendition of Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changing. Perhaps the most light-hearted title is Jožin z bažin, a song penned by Czech comedian and musician Ivan Mládek in 1977.
Even though they were written during the communist era, most of the songs would withstand the test of the time, with perhaps one exception, says Ms. Hrdličková:
“The toughest choice I had to make for this book was the singer songwriter Jarek Nohavica who is now regarded as controversial due to his collaboration with the Communist-era Secret police. I chose his song Dokud se zpívá, which is still being sung at campfires and schools.”
Each of the 17 songs is accompanied by a striking, full-page illustration by Tomski & Polanski and a short text explaining that details the context of their creation. The book concludes with another legendary protest song, Marta Kubišová’s Prayer for Marta, which became a symbol of resistance to the 1968 Soviet-led occupation of Czechoslovakia.
Published by Albatros Media, the book is now available in bookshops all around the country.
