Correspondence

Kapralova's estate, Brno, Czech Republic. Central to this private collection of autograph letters, which is divided between several Kapralova heirs and other relatives, is Kapralova's correspondence with her parents (published in 2015 as Dopisy domu), Bohumil Kapral and Hanus Weigl (published in 2017 as Dopisy pratelum), Otto Wach (published in 2017 as Dopisy pratelum), and Rudolf Kopec (published in 2016 as Dopisy laskam). The collection also includes the correspondence of Vladimir Helfert, Theodor Schaefer, Bohuslav Martinu, Alois Haba, Vaclav Talich, K.B. Jirak, Karel Solc, Frantisek Vrana, Jarmila Vavrdova, Rudolf Firkusny, Otakar Sourek, Jan Loewenbach, Viktor Kripner, Jan Carek, Lenka vojtiskova, Zdenka Duchoslavova, Marketa Vachova, V.D. Hlubocky, Karel Stikar, Pavel Deutsch, Michel Dillard, and Lucien Tesniere. Furthermore, the collection includes letters of Vaclav Kapral to his wife, letters of Jiri Mucha to Kapralova's parents, and official correspondence from the French Consulate, the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Czechoslovak Ministry of Education, the Czechoslovak Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Authors' Rights Organization (OSA), Radio France, La Sirène editions musicales, Universal Edition (London), and other institutions. In 2016 the estate donated a portion of this collection to the Moravian Museum Department of Music History.

The Moravian Museum Department of Music History | Ustav dejin hudby Moravskeho zemskeho muzea, Smetanova 14, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic. Central to this collection are autograph letters donated to the Museum by Kapralova's mother (1957), Jiri Mucha (1988?), Ota Vach (1995?), Kapralova's estate (2016), and several other donors. The collection contains Kapralova's correspondence with her parents, which includes autograph letters from 1937 (a 2016 donation by Kapralova's estate) and autograph letters Dopisy z detstvi from 1925–1926 (donated by Prazak's estate in 2019), as well as Kapralova's letters to Jiri Mucha (autograph letters, published in 2016 as Dopisy laskam). Other autographs include the letters of Jiri Mucha, Vitezslav Novak, Stanislav Novak, Theodor Schaefer, Otakar Sourek, Ilona Stepanova, Blazena Helfertova, Masa Fleischerova, Lola Tanglova, Pavel Deutsch, Hanus Weigl, and others. The collection also includes copies of letters by Rudolf Kopec, Ota Vach, Bohumil Kapral, senator Plaminkova, and Emil Axman. The Museum also houses autograph letters of Bohuslav Martinu to Kapralova from 1938, and Vaclav Kapral Papers.

The Bohuslav Martinu Center. Tylova 114, 572 01 Policka, Czech Republic. The Bohuslav Martinu Papers. This extensive collection of Martinu's correspondence and documents also includes typewritten transcripts of Bohuslav Martinu's letters to Kapralova (autographs are held by the Moravian Museum) and a series of autograph postcards sent to Kapralova in 1938. Other Kapralova related correspondence and documents are part of the Fond Vitezslavy Kapralove collection that contains Kapralova's letter to her father (dated 23. 3. 1939) and the letters of Jan Loewenbach to Vaclav Kapral. The Center also houses Milos Safranek Papers and Karel Sebanek Papers. The Safranek collection contains two letters from Kapralova to Safranek (spring 1939), several letters from Kapralova's parents to Safranek, excerpts from Kapralova's letters to parents and from Martinu's letters to Kapralova, notes from a 1947 interview with Jiri Mucha, and other important notes concerning Kapralova. The Sebanek collection contains letters from Kapralova to Sebanek, correspondence with Vaclav Kapral, official correspondence of Melantrich concerning Kapralova's sinfonietta, and translated excerpts from reviews.

The Bohuslav Martinu Institute and BM Foundation. Boranovicka 14, 182 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Bohuslav Martinu Papers. This collection duplicates, to a large extent, the collection in Policka. It also includes printed scores, sound recordings, articles, reviews, and other research material on Martinu's life and work. Recent acquisitions include autograph letters of Bohuslav Martinu to Kapralova from 1938–1940 (acquired from Prazak's estate in 2018), a collection of letters (copies) written by Kapralova to Pavel Deutsch (published in 2017 as Dopisy pratelum), generously donated to the Institute by Gregory Dayton-Mohl; and a copy of Festival Fanfare, a piano miniature composed by Kapralova and dedicated to Sasenka Pucova (donated by Alexandra Boucher).

Premysl Prazak's estate. Prague, Czech Republic. Central to this private collection are the documents and source texts (typewritten and handwritten manuscripts) for Prazak’s collective monograph on Kapralova (1949). The correspondence includes letters written by Kapralova, Lucien Tesniere, Abbe Landillon, Bohuslav Martinu, Otakar Sourek, Jarmila Vavrdova, Stanislav Novak, Marie Muchova, and others.

Czech Museum of Music | Ceske muzeum hudby, Hudebne-historicke oddeleni. Karmelitska 2, 118 00 Prague 1 - Mala Strana, Czech Republic. The Museum houses the following collections relevant to Kapralova researchers: 1/ Alois Haba Papers. This collection contains 8 letters written by Kapralova during the period of November 1937 - October 1938 (published in 2017 as Dopisy pratelum); 2/ Karel Boleslav Jirak Papers. This collection contains 4 letters written by Kapralova from October 1937 to March 1938 (published in 2017 as Dopisy pratelum); 3/ Emil Axman Papers. This collection contains a letter from Kapralova (1939) (published in 2017 as Dopisy pratelum) and a letter from Vaclav Kapral (1935) concerning Kapralova; 4/ Lenka Vojtiskova Papers. This collection contains correspondence with Vaclav Kapral (1945-1946) and Kapralova's mother (1947-1965).

Authors' Rights Association | Ochranny svaz autorsky (OSA). Cs. armady 20, 160 56 Prague 6, Czech Republic. File Vitezslava Kapralova. The file contains OSA's correspondence with Kapralova, Kapralova's estate, and Kapralova's publishers.

Antonin Dvorak Museum | Muzeum Antonina Dvoraka. Ke Karlovu 20, 120 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic. The Museum houses the Otakar Sourek Papers which includes correspondence with Vaclav Kapral (1937-1942) and Vitezslava Kapralova Sr. (1947-1949).

Muzeum Ceskeho krasu. Husovo namesti cp. 87, 266 01 Beroun, Czech Republic. Vaclav Talich Papers. This collection contains Talich's correspondence with Vitezslava Kapralova and Bohuslav Martinu.

San Diego State University, Malcolm A. Love Library, Special Collections and University Archives. Jan Loewenbach Papers (NSD-11). This collection contains copies of Loewenbach's correspondence with Vaclav Kapral.

Kapralova's estate. Brno, Czech Republic. This extensive collection of photographs from all periods of Kapralova's life includes photos from her childhood and school years, vacation stays in Tri Studne, her studies in Prague and Paris, and her vacation trip to Monaco; photographs of Vaclav Kapral, Viktorie Kapralova, Bohumil Kapral, Vladimir Helfert, Theodor Schaefer, Vaclav Talich, Ota Vach, Rudolf Kopec, Zdena Duchoslavova-Divinova, Vitezslav Novak, Bohuslav Martinu, Petr Kricka, Jaroslav Kricka, Rudolf Kundera, Jiri Mucha, and others. Copies of two drawings of Kapralova by Rudolf Kundera from 5.5.1939. In 2016, a portion of this collection was donated to the Moravian Museum Department of Music History.

The Bohuslav Martinu Center. Tylova 114, 572 01 Policka, Czech Republic. The Fond Vitezslavy Kapralove contains an important collection of photographs (and negatives) of Kapralova and her relatives and friends (e.g. Vera Placherova-Vojtechovska, Theodor Schaefer, Vitezslav Novak, Emil Hradecky, Stanislav Hauner, Rudolf Kundera, Jaroslav Stein, Audrey Love, and Janci Stark, among others). Photo negatives include a photograph of Kapralova conducting the Czech Philharmonic and a collection of photos from Augerville de la Riviere. Also one of the two known original drawings of Kapralova by Rudolf Kundera from May 1939. Donated to the Center by Vaclav Kapral(?).

The Moravian Museum Department of Music History | Moravske zemske muzeum, Ustav dejin hudby. Smetanova 14, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic. Central to this collection are the photographs donated to the Museum by Kapralova's mother (1957, 1959), Kapralova's friend Libuse Houzvickova-Kucerova, and Kapralova's estate (2016). The collection contains photographs of Kapralova from her childhood, the Paris period (1938-1940), the Monaco trip (1938), and the vacations spent in Tri Studne. It also contains photographs of her grave in Montpellier. In addition, the collection includes the photographs of Theodor Schaefer, Bohuslav Martinu, Ota Vach, Jirinka Cernusakova, Libuse Houzvickova, Rudolf Kopec, Petr Kricka, Jaroslav Kricka, Zdenka Duchoslavova, Vladimir Materna, and others.

Duchoslav Family's Collection. Toronto, Canada. A small but unique collection of photographs of Kapralova and her friends (including Theodor Schaefer, Jaroslav Kricka, and Bohuslav Martinu), taken during her various stays in Tri Studne, including the Summer 1938.

Jiri Mucha's estate. Prague, Czech Republic. This private collection includes photographs of Kapralova from 1939-1940 (including photos from her wedding) and original drawings of Kapralova by Rudolf Kundera (from 5.5. 1939).

Kapralova's estate. Brno, Czech Republic. This private collection, divided between several heirs, contains Kapralova's parents' marriage certificate and other important documents; Kapralova's school certificates and records; Kapralova's poems (1925-1934); a drawing book; a school notebook with Vitezslava's early essays and other school notes; a phone book; a notebook (1940) in which Vitezslava recorded her spendings; a few pages from a diary describing her first classes with Vitezslav Novak, and other important documents. In 2016, a portion of this collection was donated by Kapralova's estate to the Moravian Museum Department of Music History.

The Moravian Museum Department of Music History | Moravske zemske muzeum, Ustav dejin hudby. Smetanova 14, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic. This important collection of Kapralova documents donated by Kapralova's parents and Kapralova's estate contains her birth certificate, selected school certificates and diplomas, official applications and correspondence with institutions, travel documents, student ID cards issued by Alliance Francaise and Ecole normale (1939), and the Université de Paris Faculté des Lettres (1939), Kapralova's diaries from 1937 and 1939, an address books, typewritten copies of Kapralova's poems, a list of works, school notebooks, various notes, autographs of Kapralova's poems, and more.

Jiri Mucha's estate. Prague, Czech Republic. This private collection includes, besides the aforementioned photos and drawings, Kapralova's wedding ring and an autograph score of her song Dopis.

Other research material

Concert programs and reviews of Kapralova's music can be found in the archives of the following institutions: The Moravian Museum Department of Music History, Antonin Dvorak Museum in Prague (Otakar Sourek Papers), the Czech Philharmonic, and the Kapralova Society. Please note that verified performances of Kapralova's music and their reviews have been posted on this website.

The Czech Military History Institute | Historicky ustav Armady Ceske republiky. U Pamatniku 2, 130 05 Praha 3. The Institute houses Ceskoslovensky boj / La Cause Tchécoslovaque - Ustredni list zahranicnich Cechu a Slovaku, an official publication of Czechs and Slovaks in exile, for which Kapralova wrote several articles and reviews in 1940. This weekly was published in France during 1939-1940 (the first issue was published on April 28, 1939 and the last on June 7, 1940). The collection is incomplete (for information on a complete collection see further) and contains only the following issues: Vol.I/Nos. 10-17, 19-20, 24-36 (out of 36); Vol.II/Nos. 1-13, 15-22 (out of 22). A complete collection is held by the University of Washington Suzzallo Library which has a microfilm of the two volumes. The reviews and articles written by (or attributed to) Kapralova, published by Ceskoslovensky boj, have been made available on this website (in Czech. Several reviews are annotated, one review is also translated into English).

National Archives. Archivni 4, Praha 4-Chodov. This institution houses documents of the National Women's Council (NWC) under the name and shelf number "Zenska narodni rada 1923-1940, c.fondu 627". Of a particular interest to Kapralova scholars will be the minutes of the NWC Executive Committee that mention Kapralova's participation in the Council's gala concert of November 26, 1937 (the premiere of her Military Sinfonietta).