Iva Bittová
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Iva Bittová | ||
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 26 March 2006, Palác Akropolis, Prague
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Iva Bittová | |
| Born | July 22, 1958 (age 48) Bruntál, Moravia,Czech Republic |
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| Genre(s) | Folk, Experimental, Avant-progressive rock, Contemporary classical |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician, Composer, Actress | |
| Instrument(s) | Violin, Singing | |
| Years active | 1976 – present | |
| Label(s) | Supraphon, BMG, Nonesuch | |
| Website | www.bittova.com | |
Iva Bittová (born July 22, 1958) is a Czech avant-garde violinist, singer and composer. She began her career as an actress in the mid 1970s, appearing in several of Czech feature films, but switched to playing violin and singing in the early 1980s. She started recording in 1986 and by 1990 her unique vocal and instrumental technique gained her international recognition. Since then, she has performed regularly all over Europe, the United States and Japan, and has made over eight solo albums.
In addition to her musical career, Bittová has continued acting and still occasionally appears in feature films. In 2003 she played the part of Zena in Želary, a film nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2004 Academy Awards.
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[edit] Biography
Iva Bittová was born on 22 July 1958 in the town of Bruntál, northern Moravia in what was then the Republic of Czechoslovakia. The second of three daughters, she grew up in a musical family where her father Koloman Bitto, a famous Roma musician from southern Slovakia, played guitar, trumpet and double bass in folk and classical ensembles, and her mother Ludmila Bittová (née Masařová) sung in professional vocal groups. As a child, Bittová took ballet and violin lessons in Opava and played child roles in the Silesian Theatre of Zdeněk Nejedlý. When her family moved to Brno in 1971, she dropped music in favour of drama and studied at the Brno Conservatory. For the next ten years Bittová worked as an actress, appearing in several Czech feature films and Brno television and radio productions.
In the early 1980s Bittová returned to music and studied violin under Rudolf Šťastný, professor of Janacek Academy in Brno. She had received her vocal training while at drama college and quickly developed a unique way of singing and playing the violin. In 1985, Bittová collaborated with percussionist Pavel Fajt from the Czech rock group Dunaj and recorded Bittová + Fajt, a fusion of alternative rock music with Slavic and Gypsy music. She then recorded a few solo EPs in 1986 and sang with Dunaj for the next few years. Her breakthrough came in 1987 when she and Fajt recorded their second album Svatba (The Wedding), which was released internationally by Review Records. This attracted the attention of English percussionist Chris Cutler of Recommended Records, who re-issued Bittová + Fajt internationally. The duo also attracted the attention of English avant-garde guitarist Fred Frith, who featured them in a documentary film on him, Step Across the Border (1990), which gave them their first broad international exposure and a tour outside of Eastern Europe.
Bittová recorded her first full length solo album Iva Bittová in 1991, followed by River of Milk, her first United States release. In 1997 she began exploring classical music with a series of concerts and recording an album of Béla Bartók's violin duets with Dorothea Kellerováof. She collaborated with Vladimír Václavek to record a double album Bílé Inferno (White Inferno) in 1997, and the success of this release lead to Bittová and Václavek establishing Čikori, an association of musicians involved in improvisational music.
Bittová has performed with a number of avant-garde musicians internationally, including Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and the late Tom Cora, and has given solo concerts across the world. Bittová is married to Pavel Fajt and lives in the village of Lelekovice near Brno with her two sons, Matouš and Toník.
[edit] Bittová's music
Bittová's music is a blend of rock and East European music which she describes as "my own personal folk music". [1] Her violin playing mixes different techniques, including playing the strings with various objects and plucking them like a banjo. Her vocal utterances range from traditional singing to chirping, cackling and deep throat noises. She puts her whole body into her performances, drawing on her theatrical skills. [1] AllMusic.com writes: "Her irresistible charm, original use of voice, and fondness of melodies that sit on the border of avant-garde and playground nursery rhymes won her devoted fans around the world." [2]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Collaborations
- With Pavel Fajt
- With Dunaj
- With Dorothea Kellerová
- 1997 Béla Bartók - 44 Dueta pro Dvoje Housle (44 Duets for Two Violins) (CD Rachot Behemot)
- With Vladimír Václavek
- 1997 Bílé Inferno (White Inferno) (2xCD Indies Records)
- With Škampa Quartet
- With Netherlands Wind Ensemble
- 2000 Dance of the Vampires (CD N.W.E.)
- With Andreas Kröper
- With Čikori
- With Miloš Valent
- With DJ Javas
- With Bang On a Can
- With Geogrge Mraz, Emil Viklický and Lolo Tropp
- Announced spring 2007
[edit] Solo
- 1986 Iva Bittová (EP Panton)
- 1986 Balada pro Banditu (A Ballad for a Bandit) (EP Panton)
- 1991 Iva Bittová (LP Pavian)
- 1991 River of Milk (CD EVA Records)
- 1994 Ne, Nehledej (No, Do Not Seek) (CD BMG)
- 1995 Kolednice (Carol singer) (CD BMG)
- 1996 Divná Slečinka (A Strange Young Lady) (CD BMG)
- 1997 Solo (CD Nonesuch Records)
[edit] Filmography
- 1976 Ruzové Sny (Rose Tinted Dreams)
- 1976 Die Insel der Silberreiher (Island of the Silver Herons)
- 1977 Jak se Budi Princezny
- 1978 Balada pro Banditu (Ballad for a Bandit)
- 1983 Únos Moravanky
- 1988 Mikola a Mikolko
- 1991 Neha (Tenderness)
- 2003 Želary
[edit] References
- ^ a b Iva Bittová. Czech Music Information Centre. Retrieved on December 4, 2006.
- ^ Couture, François. Iva Bittová. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on December 4, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Official homepage.
- Iva Bittová biography. Czech Music Information Centre.
- Iva Bittová at All Music Guide.
- Iva Bittová at the Internet Movie Database.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bittová, Iva |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Czech musician and actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 22, 1958 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bruntál, Moravia in Czech Republic |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
