That was my wartime youth, hundreds of people were dying every day, and I just sang

Stáhnout obrázek
Bohuslav Korejs was born on 25 December 1925 in the Březové Hory near Příbram. The whole family was close to music – both the father and one of the brothers were organists, and Bohuslav followed in their footsteps. After studying at the gymnasium, he studied at the conservatory, from where he had to transfer to a music school under the Union of Professional Czech Musicians during the war, because the conservatory was closed just like the universities. He became a member of the Czech Choir, which, for example, sang on the radio, including in broadcasts for Czech workers stationed in the Reich. After the war, he worked for a short time at the State Statistical Institute, then as part of the 77,000 clerks in production campaign, he got to Pragovka as an auxiliary worker, where he worked for 26 long years. However, he did not forget about music; since 1953 he worked as an organist in Prague-Strašnice, from 1964 then in the Týnské chrám, where he also became regenschor, that is, director of the choir. Commissioned by the Czech Bishops‘ Conference, he set Czech responsorial psalms to music. After 1989, he taught at the Týn Higher Vocational School and at the Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague. He was the recipient of the honorary recognition of the Czech Bishops‘ Conference and the Prize of the Ministry of Culture. Bohuslav Korejs died on April 7, 2023.