Jan Uhlíř

Czech military band leader and composer. Born May 6, 1894 in Ivanovice na Hané (former Austro-Hungarian Empire), died June 13, 1970 in Prague (former Czechoslovakia). Uhlíř learned to play the violin from his father, Petr Uhlíř, and played in his father's orchestra from age 14. He also picked up a number of other instruments. In 1911, at the age of 17, Uhlíř joined the band of the Austrian 81st Infantry Regiment in Jihlava (Iglau), with which he fought at the Galician front during World War I. Taken captive by the Russians, Uhlíř became the bandmaster of one of the twelve Czechoslovak regiments formed in Russia. He returned to the newly independent ČSR in 1920. After working as military bandmaster for regiments stationed in Most, Litoměřice, and Prague, he was appointed Commandant of the Military School of Music in Prague in 1934 and in 1939 Inspector of Military Music, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (in Czech, Podplukovník, abbreviated as Pplk.). During the Nazi occupation, Uhlíř lost his military post and instead became a professor at the Prague Conservatory. In May 1945, he rejoined the restored Czechoslovak army and founded the Hudba Hradní Stráže (Band of the Castle Guard) in Prague that plays at state visits and other official occasions. Uhlíř composed a wide variety of music, marches (pochody), polkas, waltzes, and other pieces. His compositions include, "Avia," "Ballerina," "Česká polka" (a.k.a. "Böhmische Polka"), "9. květen" (a.k.a. "9. máj"), "Lví silou," "Malý valčík," "Pochodem vchod," "Přehlídka vojáčků," "Rázně vpřed" (a.k.a. "Forward!"), "Rival," "Ruští kozáci," "Soldatušky," and "Sparta."