- Iva Bittová
Infobox musical artist |
Name = Iva Bittová
Img_capt = Iva Bittová at Union Hall,Brooklyn ,New York City ,25 September 2007
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Iva Bittová
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1958|7|22Bruntál ,Moravia ,Czech Republic
Died =
Instrument =Violin ,Singing
Genre = Folk, Experimental,
Avant-progressive rock ,
Contemporary classical
Occupation =Musician ,Composer , Actress
Years_active = 1976 – present
Label =Supraphon ,BMG , Nonesuch
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.bittova.com/ www.bittova.com]Iva Bittová (born
July 22 ,1958 ) is a Czechavant-garde violinist, singer and composer of Romani ethnicity. She began her career as an actress in the mid 1970s, appearing in several Czechfeature film s, 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 overEurope , theUnited States andJapan , 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 2004Academy Award s.Biography
Iva Bittová was born on
22 July 1958 in the town ofBruntál , northernMoravia in what was then theRepublic of Czechoslovakia . The second of three daughters, she grew up in a musical family where her father Koloman Bitto, a famous Roma musician from southernSlovakia , playedguitar ,trumpet anddouble bass infolk and classical ensembles, and her mother Ludmila Bittová (née Masařová) sung in professional vocal groups. As a child, Bittová took ballet and violin lessons inOpava and played child roles in the Silesian Theatre of Zdeněk Nejedlý. When her family moved toBrno in 1971, she dropped music in favour of drama and studied at theBrno Conservatory. For the next ten years Bittová worked as an actress, appearing in several Czech feature films andBrno television and radio productions.In the early 1980s Bittová returned to music and studied violin under
Rudolf Šťastný , professor ofJanacek 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 percussionistPavel Fajt from the Czechrock group Dunaj and recorded "Bittová + Fajt", a fusion ofalternative 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 byReview Records . This attracted the attention of English percussionistChris Cutler ofRecommended Records , who re-issued "Bittová + Fajt" internationally. The duo also attracted the attention of Englishavant-garde guitaristFred 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 ofEastern 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 ofBéla Bartók 's violin duets withDorothea Kellerová . She collaborated withVladimír 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 married Pavel Fajt and lived in the village of Lelekovice near Brno with her two sons, Matouš and Toník. She now resides in Rhinebeck,New York , with her son Antonin.Bittová's music
Bittová's music is a blend of rock and
East European music which she describes as "my own personal folk music". cite web |url=http://www.musica.cz/bittova/ |title="Iva Bittová" |work=Czech Music Information Centre |accessdate=2006-12-04 ] 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. 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." [ cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:xr5g8qztbt04~T1 |title="Iva Bittová" |work=AllMusic.com |first=François |last=Couture |accessdate=2006-12-04 ]Discography
Collaborations
;With
Pavel Fajt
*"Bittová + Fajt" (1985, LP, Panton)
*"Svatba" ("The Wedding") (1987, LP,Review Records );With Dunaj
*"The Danube" (1989, LP, Panton)
*"Pustit Musíš" ("You Must Let Go") (1996, CD,Rachot Behemot );WithDorothea Kellerová
*"Béla Bartók : 44 Dueta pro Dvoje Housle" ("44 Duets for Two Violins") (1997, CD,Rachot Behemot );WithVladimír Václavek
*"Bílé Inferno" ("White Inferno") (1997, 2xCD,Indies Records );WithŠkampa Quartet
*"Classic" (1998, CD,Supraphon );WithNetherlands Wind Ensemble
*"Dance of the Vampires" (2000, CD, N.W.E.);WithAndreas Kröper
*"Echoes" (2001, CD,Supraphon );WithČikori
*"Čikori" (2001, CD,Indies Records );WithMiloš Valent
*"Leoš Janáček : Moravian folk poetry in songs" (2004, CD,Supraphon );WithDJ Javas
*"The Party" (2004, CD,Indies Records );WithMiloš Valent ,Marek Štryncl ,Solamente Naturali ,Bratislava Conservatory Choir
*"Vladimír Godár : Mater" (2006, CD, ECM);WithBang On a Can
*"Elida" (2006, CD,Indies Records );WithSusumu Yokota
*"Wonder Waltz (Skintone)" (2006, CD,Japonsko );WithGeorge Mraz ,Emil Viklický andLolo Tropp
*"Moravian Gems" (2007, CD, Cube Metier)olo
*"Iva Bittová" (1986, EP, Panton)
*"Balada pro Banditu" ("A Ballad for a Bandit") (1986, EP, Panton)
*"Iva Bittová" (1991, LP, Pavian)
*"River of Milk" (1991, CD,EVA Records )
*"Ne, Nehledej" ("No, Do Not Seek") (1994, CD,BMG )
*"Kolednice" ("Carol singer") (1995, CD,BMG )
*"Divná Slečinka" ("A Strange Young Lady") (1996, CD,BMG )
*"Solo" (1997, CD,Nonesuch Records )Filmography
*"Ružové sny" ("
Rosy Dreams ") (1976)
*"Die Insel der Silberreiher" ("Island of the Silver Herons") (1976)
*"Jak se budí princezny" (1977)
*"Balada pro Banditu" ("Ballad for a Bandit") (1978)
*"Únos Moravanky" (1983)
*"Mikola a Mikolko" (1988)
*"Něha" ("Tenderness") (1991)
*"The Man Who Cried " (as the voice forChristina Ricci ) (2000)
*"Želary " (2003)
*"Tajnosti " ("Little Girl Blue") (2007)Footnotes
External links
* [http://www.bittova.com/ Official homepage] .
* [http://www.musica.cz/bittova/ Iva Bittová biography] . "Czech Music Information Centre".
* [http://www.hanswendl.com/video/ivab_proudem.html Videos of Iva Bittová performing live] .
*amg | id = 11:5xsyxdfbjolk | label = Iva Bittová.
*imdb name | id=0084589 | name=Iva Bittová.Persondata
NAME=Bittová, Iva
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Czech musician and actress
DATE OF BIRTH=July 22 ,1958
PLACE OF BIRTH=Bruntál ,Moravia inCzech Republic
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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