One of the most influential Czech writers of the 20th century (1890-1938) who introduced and made popular the word 'robot,' which first appeared in his 1921 play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). Autograph manuscript signed with his initials, "K. C.," four pages, 6.75 x 8.25, no date but published in the Lidove noviny newspaper in 1931. Capek's handwritten manuscript for an essay entitled "Orientalni hudba [Orient Music]," which has been extensively hand-corrected throughout. The short article describes his hobby of collecting gramophone records of oriental and ethnic music. In part (loosely translated): "The Japanese singer somehow pushes his singing way for us a little bit unnatural, while the Chinese sing it out roughly and the Siamese cheats; the Indian singer creates colorful articulations, while the Arabian in the noses and soft glissandes. In all orientals, the human voice is ornamented, only the Chinese screamed pathetically and with dramatic austerity. And then the strange and magical instruments: the heroic Japanese shamizzah, the Javan bell gamelans, and the metalloons, who are bloody ringing and waving like musical fountains, banging gongs and xylophones from the island of Bali, flutes, drums and Siamese boilers, enchanted by the rebab and flute of Arabic, lusting almost human, they are both sweet and violently exciting impressions, sometimes aggressively evocative. A real surprise for me, collector, is the music of the Gamelan of Bali in Hornbostel's album, dynamically rich and instrumentally radiant as some modern symphony does." In fine condition, with light soiling and handling wear. Lidove noviny was the most respected Czech newspaper prior to World War II, to which Capek was a longtime contributor. The consignor notes that this manuscript is considered 'non-existent, lost or destroyed.' A highly unusual, desirable piece.
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