Climbing the narrow staircase to the northern choir loft of St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle, I suddenly find the vast nave opening up before me, with its soaring Gothic arches. Cathedral organist Josef Kšica, choirmaster and director of the choir, takes his seat at the console from which the organ pipes are controlled, his fingers dancing across the keys.
Thank you for an unforgettable experience. What does the role of choir director actually involve?
It is a technical term – in the Baroque era, such a person was called a regenschori. I am an organist; my instrument has four and a half thousand pipes and fifty-eight stops. I am responsible for the Prague Cathedral Choir, which has around twenty-five to forty members. I also remember occasions when several choirs came together in the cathedral – up to three hundred and fifty singers – and we performed Dvořák’s Mass in D major in Lužany. Present at the time was the Primate of France, the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Vingt-Trois. I have also played at masses and concerts in various parts of the world.
Are you the only organist at St. Vitus Cathedral?
At the end of 2023, following a selection process, the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Vitus in Prague appointed Professor Ondřej Valenta as organist and now musical director. Since January 2, 2024, there have been two organists serving in the cathedral choir loft.
Do you compose your own music?
I never copy anything. I compose occasional music needed for the liturgy – for vespers, as well as various fanfares celebrating this beautiful spiritual space. Wind instruments sound magnificent here alongside the organ, bells, and timpani. All these instruments have a celebratory character. A few years ago, together with Josef Zámečník, who also plays the “angel trumpet” beautifully, we recorded the album Annunciation.
Less than a year ago, I interviewed Cardinal Dominik Duka. How do you remember him? Was he a good counterpart?
Yes, Cardinal Dominik was an exceptional and charismatic person. Such individuals appear only rarely over the course of centuries. He was a man of encyclopedic knowledge, capable of bringing people together and appreciating each individual. He was not afraid to express his views, even when they were uncomfortable – but always truthful. He was truly a man of the world.
Is it true that he was the main initiator and supporter of the new organ project for St. Vitus Cathedral?
Yes, it is a great blessing for present and future generations that Cardinal Dominik Duka OP stood at the head of the Czech Roman Catholic Church and supported the new organ project wholeheartedly from the very beginning. The entire nation contributed to raising funds through the adoption and purchase of individual pipes. I have already had the opportunity to play the new organ myself. I am very satisfied and look forward to the moment when five thousand or more pilgrims fill the cathedral and appreciate this magnificently designed instrument. It has six and a half thousand pipes, one hundred and twenty-two stops, four manuals, and a mobile console that can be positioned in the transept between the choir loft and the Golden Gate.
The new monumental organ, designed by Spanish organ builder Gerhard Grenzing, will be inaugurated on June 15. What will the event look like?
On that day at 5 p.m., a Holy Mass will begin in St. Vitus Cathedral, including the blessing of the new organ. Seven organists will perform, accompanied by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and a large choir made up of several combined Prague church choirs, conducted by Robert Kružík. The inauguration mass will be celebrated by the new Archbishop of Prague Stanislav Přibyl and emeritus Archbishop Jan Graubner. A large number of pilgrims is expected. The Word of God, the music of God, the mystery of God, processions – all in harmony and unity. Together, it forms the overall beauty of the liturgy.
When did the sound of the organ first resonate within you? Was it already in childhood?
I spent my childhood in the Vysočina region with my two younger sisters. Music has been part of my life since the very beginning. My father was a village teacher and choirmaster, my mother devoted herself to the family. It was a beautiful childhood – we spent time outdoors, in the forest, flying kites. With my father, we also launched a large hot-air balloon. He led the local amateur theatre and staged works such as Grandmother by Božena Němcová. It was the 1950s – a difficult time – yet we still went to church. My uncle was a Catholic priest, and it was in his church that I was first seated at the organ. I will never forget that moment – even then I felt it was my place. I was only eight years old…
Do any of your sons share your musical talent?
Each of my sons has musical talent, but my eldest, Přemysl, became an organist – and a very capable one. He studied organ, improvisation, and conducting in Germany and played with me in the cathedral for twenty-two years. My middle son Jan works in a gym and is involved in boxing, but he sings beautifully. The youngest, Pavel Josef, studies baritone at the Music and Arts University in Vienna. All three are well raised, and I owe that primarily to my wife Pavla, who is highly musically gifted and has left a strong musical imprint on our sons. She is also an excellent vocal teacher.
Where did you meet your wife?
I met my wife in the choir loft – she was studying at an agricultural university at the time and sang beautifully. I was playing the organ and fell in love with her. I immediately knew she was the woman for me. Of course, nothing was simple – we had to fight for our love, but we have been together ever since. Having a family and raising children is also a test, and in that we have always been guided by the Ten Commandments.
What is it like living near Prague Castle?
Wonderful. We live in Pohořelec, and when I used to walk to the cathedral on Sunday mornings to play at mass, I would not meet a single person. I would pass Loreta, the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, the Capuchin Monastery, Czernin Palace, the statue of Edvard Beneš, or the pub U Černého vola. That was how it used to be. Nowadays, as I have some mobility limitations, my kind wife drives me there.
CV BOX
Josef Kšica (born April 15, 1952, in Opava) is director of the choir at St. Vitus Cathedral.
He studied at the secondary school in Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, the Brno Conservatory (organ and composition), and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (organ and organ improvisation).
From 1982 to 1992, he served as organist at the Jerusalem Jubilee Synagogue in Prague and performed Jewish music with the chamber trio Mysterium Musicum Praha.
Until 1992, he was a member of the Prague Philharmonic Choir, and until 1998 he worked with the Prague Chamber Choir as choirmaster, organist, and répétiteur.
Since 1999, he has been organist and choir director at the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert in Prague. At the same time, he is choirmaster and conductor of the Prague Cathedral Choir and orchestra, and harpsichordist of the ensemble Ars Instrumentalis Pragensis.
Since 2000, he has led the Prague Cathedral Choir.
Since the beginning of the millennium, he has participated in many festivals and tours around the world with PKS.
He is dedicated to modern premieres of early Czech music and sacred compositions for recording labels.
Cathedral
The principal patron of the cathedral – also known as the metropolitan and pilgrimage church of the Czech lands – is Saint Vitus. Other patrons include Saint Wenceslas and Saint Adalbert. Among its treasures is the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, which leads to the Crown Chamber. There, the Czech Crown Jewels are kept under strict protection and displayed to the public once every five years. The chamber is opened by seven keys, held by seven distinguished figures of the republic. From time to time, the key holders must also inspect the chamber, an occasion that always becomes a major social event.
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