Bedřich Antonín Wiedermann : pioneer of the organ as a concert instrument

Abstract

The most important organist in Czechoslovakia between the wars was Bedrich Antonin Wiedermann (1883-1951). He was a teacher and composer, but above all a great performer. After arriving in Prague in 1911, he began playing in regular recitals at the Emmaus monastery. Then from 1920-1932 he played at the Sunday matinee concerts at the Prague Municipal House. In these performances, he made the case for the organ as a concert instrument and chose the compositions he played with that in mind. He also performed at the Hussite church in Dejvice and Vinohrady, and later at the church of St James in the Prague Old Town. As the only Czech organist of the era to perform outside his own country, he travelled to England, the United States, Germany, Sweden and Belgium. Wiedermann was of fundamental importance for the development of organ music and organ performance in the Czech Lands.