Škroup, František Ján

Born June 3, 1801, in Osice, near Pardubice; died Feb. 7, 1862, in Rotterdam. Czech composer, conductor, and singer.

Škroup studied music and law simultaneously. Under the influence of the Buditeli, he organized in Prague the first national Czech opera circle, which in 1823 began staging performances in Czech of German and Italian classical operas at the Estates Theater. He became second conductor at the theater in 1827 and was chief conductor from 1837 to 1857; he was the first to stage the operas of such composers as R. Wagner and G. Verdi in Prague. In 1860 he became conductor with a German opera company in Rotterdam.

Škroup composed nine operas, including The Dráteník (1826), the first national opera with a Czech libretto. Among his other works are an overture, string quartets, a piano trio, music for the theater, and songs, notably the popular song “Where is My Home?” (from the music to J. Tyl’s play Fidlovacka, 1834), which became the first (Czech) part of the national anthem of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918.