1926 – A Nice Memory

R. A. Dvorský, photo: archive of Czech Radio
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This year we commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the Czechoslovak Republic. That means that we are also celebrating the last one hundred years of great works of art, along with ordinary songs sung by generations of Czechs. Today we will go back to 1926.

R. A. Dvorský,  photo: archive of Czech Radio
It is a time when the post-war popularity of cabaret is ending, and a new trend is taking its place: the revue. Yes, a revue with fast-moving images of dance, songs, jazz from that period and lots of half-naked girls. This was the sensation that for a time was exciting in more than just Prague.

Around this time, Mr. Hašler, an all-around gifted artist who we have already talked about several times in our series, became the director of the Variety Show in Karlín (known today as Music Theater Karlín). Therefore, revue was not permitted to be missing from his repertoire. Furthermore, none of Hašler's revues were at loss for catchy songs or crowd-drawing titles.

In 1926, the President immediately appointed two governments, first as the clerical one and later on October 12th the so-called third Švehlova government, in total the 9th government of Czechoslovakia in 9 years.

Czechoslovak Radio launched regular broadcast and on April 1st I broadcast the first time signal at noon on that day, lasting for a total of 15 seconds.

On April 21st, the sculptor Olbram Zoubek was born.

In 1926, the revue "Prague Was, Is and Will Be", appeared on the scene in the form of a nostalgic chanson. It was as if it were Hašler's own memory of youth, of the old poplars in the Emperor's Meadow and the love once experienced and sung about beneath them.

We will be reminded of this song today by another distinguished personality in Czech popular music, R. A. Dvorský, a singer and musician - among other callings.

R. A. Dvorský had a good understanding of the older Karel Hašler. Perhaps this is how he was able to capture so well the sadness in Hašler's ‘A Nice Memory’, in which he remembers in his long gone youth, looking at the view of Vyšehrad as the moon gently kissed the Vltava River...

K. Hašler: Hezká vzpomínka