A superstar from Czechia who conquered Italy
The musical conqueror of Italy, nicknamed "Il divino Boemo" (the Divine Bohemian), he also enjoyed an exuberant social life and went on to become one of the 18th century's leading Czech composers.
Mysliveček's operas, full of joy and powerful emotions, were performed on the occasion of royal birthdays and featured some of the biggest operatic stars. Back when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was trying to make a name for himself in Italy, Josef Mysliveček was his friend and mentor. The young Mozart is said to have been inspired by his compositions.
The son of a wealthy miller, he was born in Prague in 1737 in what is now Sovovy mlýny, the former mills that now house the Museum Kampa. Despite his family's expectations, he didn’t over the running of the family mill, but went in search of his dream in Italy, which was the world centre of opera in the late 18th century.
Disfigured face
The turning point in Mysliveček's life is thought to have come with the successful performance of his opera Bellerofontés, which was attended by King Ferdinand IV of Naples and prominently featured soprano Caterina Gabrielli, who, gossip had it at the time, was Mysliveček's lover.
After his success in Naples, the fame of Giuseppe Myslivečko, as he was known by the Italians, spread throughout Italy. Mysliveček joined the ranks of the artistic and social elite. He bought a palace in Rome, hired servants and threw parties.
Yet fortune is a fickle mistress. Yet fortune is a fickle mistress. Mysliveček, who probably contracted syphilis, was injured in a carriage accident and the wounds on his face got infected. He spent the whole year in hospital, where his visitors included Mozart. However, he was unable to get over his disfigured features for the rest of his life. He died in Rome in 1781, in abject poverty and forgotten. He was 43 years old.
In Mysliveček's footsteps
In Prague there is a plaque commemorating Mysliveček on building number 200, the Czech Museum of Music, on the Novotný Footbridge by the Vltava River. Another noteworthy sight is the stone bust with the commemorative plaque in Melantrichova Street, on the way towards Old Town Square, where the composer also lived.
A fundamental role in the life of the little miller’s lad was played by St. Giles' Church with the adjacent Dominican monastery. It was there, in the ‘normal school’, that he probably first encountered music, which would become his lifelong passion.
Film on Netflix
His life is also portrayed in a historical film, an Italian co-production that has been compared to Oscar-winning movie Amadeus by director Miloš Forman, author of the American hit One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. You can see it on Netflix. It’s entitled, of course, Il Boemo. Divine!
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