Vita ceu harmonia. Jiří Carolides: A Poet and Composer between the Imperial Court and the New Town of Prague

Abstract

Jiří Carolides was one of the most distinguished Czech Latin humanist poets, and in his works he combines interest in poetry with love for music. Already during his university studies, he wrote a congratulatory polyphonic composition, and he was also active as a composer when he was older. He came from a non-Catholic background, but he still managed to earn the title of poet laureate at the emperor’s court. His contacts with court intellectuals did not last long, but he had permanent ties the society of Prague’s Utraquist burghers. While he spent most of his time in Prague, and much of his poetry gives us an account of the people and buildings in Prague’s New Town, he maintained contacts with confraternities of literati and with lovers of music and of the arts in Bohemia and Moravia. From Carolides’s poetry, we also recognise his enthusiasm for music and singing, especially combined with his profound piety.