WEINBERGER, JAROMIR

born Jan. 8, 1896, Prague died Aug. 8, 1967, St. Petersburg, Fla., U.S. Czech composer known mainly for his opera vanda Dudk (Shvanda the Bagpiper). Weinberger studied at the Prague Conservatory and with Max Reger in Leipzig, later working with the Slovak National Theatre. In 1939 he settled in the United States. His opera vanda Dudk, first performed in Prague in 1927, quickly made him famous; it was the first Czech opera since Bedrich Smetana's The Bartered Bride to be widely performed internationally. The Polka and Fugue from the opera soon became a popular concert piece. Besides operas his works include orchestral and chamber music.