Musicologist, Director of the Institute of Musicology at the Faculty of Arts, CU

(49 years old)

In 2019, Lenka Hlávková also appeared on the cover of Charles University’s Forum magazine (photo: Luboš Wišniewski).

Lenka Hlávková (née Mráčková) was born on 17 August 1974 in Louny. After graduating from secondary schooll in Most, she studied musicology at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University (M.A. 1998, Ph.D. 2004). During her studies, she completed internships in Cork and Utrecht and, from 1999 to 2000, was a DAAD scholarship holder at Humboldt University in Berlin. At the Institute of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, she worked as an assistant professor specialising in music history before 1600 and music palaeography. From 2012 to 2015 and again from 2021 to 2023, she served as the director of the Institute.

Written by husband ZH (with the help of LJ, VK, PM):

Lenka always wrote similar essays at home: grant applications, concert programmes, invitations, thank you notes, testimonials... she always knew how to craft the right text for any occasion. Often, she would sit in the kitchen late into the night at her laptop, arranging conferences, concerts, grants, student exchanges, or recording CDs, while assigning us, the rest of the family, tasks such as picking something up or at least bringing or taking something away.

Photo: Family archiveShe always knew she wanted to pursue music: she started singing in the Kvítek children’s choir in Louny in kindergarten, soon added the violin, and later regularly attended events of the Musical Youth and the Summer School of Early Music. As soon as she discovered musicology, she was clear about her future direction: she prepared thoroughly for the entrance exam, completed her master’s and doctoral studies, and then joined the Institute of Musicology as an assistant professor.

She could always rely on her family: from having the opportunity to write notes for her thesis on the computer at the power plant in Počerady, to urgent repairs of the mixing console or the varnishing of the piano, to sewing her graduation dress and many other elegant designs. There was mutual support in all construction, gardening, home, and kitchen activities as well.

She never worried too much about anything due to her vigorousness and did not let a lack of finances or other minor problems get to her. When she could not afford to live in Prague on her university salary, she did not complain and commuted from Louny to work at the faculty. Later, we lived together in a rented room in Holešovice, and eventually, by some miracle, managed to acquire and renovate our own place.

Photo: Family archiveMany memories have been written and published by Lenka’s colleagues, for example, in the magazines HIS Voice, Deník N, Deník Referendum, Hudební věda, and Cantus. Everyone unanimously praised Lenka’s scientific and organisational activities, which she also supported with her legendary conference cooking of mulled wine or apricot dumplings. For concerts and choral events, she often prepared plum cider, apple strudels, or blackcurrant desserts, depending on what she had in her garden. At a conference in Brussels, she approached the local Czech Centre and was able to acquire several bottles of Moravian wine, which then served as an advertisement for Czech wine culture and musicology. Otherwise, she usually bought wine for such events with the per diems she saved on business trips.

Lenka had many ideas, which she did not hesitate to promote and implement. Apart from choral singing and her professional interest in early music, she was also very fond of jazz. Many years ago, she was involved in founding the Jazz Club Louny and organising successful jazz concerts. I believe that she invented and organised most of the other concerts and musical social events primarily to see her friends and sing together, although she claimed that her main concern was to promote the Institute and the study of musicology. As an advertisement for early music and musicology, she also arranged and recorded several programmes for Czech Radio and appeared on the cover of Forum Magazine.

Photo: Family archive

Lenka was able to discuss practically anything with anyone in an engaging and informative manner, from history to literature, pedagogy, botany, chemistry, and medicine. In addition to her vast cultural knowledge, she was keenly interested in fine wine and food, cooking, gardening, preserving, and many other practical activities (when she couldn’t find a nice and practical bag in the shop, she knitted it herself in the evenings). Her fondness for karate, which her younger brother introduced her to, may be surprising since she was otherwise uninterested in sports; in the last 15 years, she had been ice skating once, cross-country skiing once or twice, and maybe three times on a bicycle. She had started practising karate primarily for health reasons and pursued it systematically with her usual full commitment.

We all miss Lenka and will continue to miss her. I don’t know anyone who exudes similar energy, passion for the cause, and organisational skills. But even with our limited possibilities, we can try to follow Lenka’s motto: “I explore, I explore, I don’t slack off!” (which she used to set as a screensaver): not to slack off, not to complain about adversity, to go our own way, and work on what we consider important without undue regard for our own comfort.

Recipe for Lenka’s apricot dumplings:

Make a dough with a reasonable amount of cottage cheese, semolina, egg, and a pinch of salt, wrap apricots in the dough, and cook.