Karel Janovický Recordings

Karel Janovický (Bohuš Šimsa)(1930-2024)was a Czech-born composer who has lived most of his life in London. He was born in 1930 in Pilsen which was then in Czechoslovakia. He began piano lessons at the age of five and after graduating from his local high school, Realne Gymnasium, he attended the Surrey College of Music in England where his piano teacher was Percy Turnbull. He entered postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music and earned his M. Mus in 1956.  He then enjoyed a successful career as a broadcaster, composer and authority on Czech music.

His compositions were many and varied and amount to some 200 works.  He was also a lover of the outdoors and enjoyed hiking up Scottish mountains with his dog.  He passed away on 9 January 2024 after a short illness.