Emil Votoček, part 4

Just a little more of Votoček's chemistry work.

Votoček was also a leader in creating a nomenclature for the carbohydrates, especially for the carbohydrates that he had synthesized. He was a member for many years of the organic chemistry nomenclature board of the international chemistry standards board (the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Votoček also wrote textbooks on both organic and inorganic chemistry and a laboratory manual titled Instructions for Laboratory Work in Organic Chemistry. He became a formidable linguist as an adult, learning Polish, Serbo-Croatian, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and English, all of which he spoke excellently. He even lectured in French at chemical society meetings in France.

Votoček then married his language and scientific skills, compiling at least seven scientific and musical dictionaries, including a Shorter German–Czech and French-Czech Chemico-Technical Dictionary, a Czech–French Terminological and Phraseological Dictionary for Chemistry, Physics and Related Sciences, a Polish–Czech Chemical Dictionary with Partial Regard to Mathematics, Physics, Geometry and Mineralogy, a Czech-German-French-English-Latin Chemical Dictionary, and a Czech–German–French–English–Italian–Latin Chemical Dictionary, a Czech–French Conversation and Phraseology, and a Musical Dictionary of Foreign Expressions and Phrases.

And why is he polymathic?  His musical accomplishments. He was interested in music as a young child and played several instruments, concentrating on the double bass. He was good enough to play in the Prague Orchestral Association, a leading amateur orchestra.

But it is Votoček’s music composition for which he is musically most known today. As a young chemistry professor, he managed to convince the noted Czech conductor and composer František Spilka to tutor him in music composition. He stayed with Spilka for six years, studying music while simultaneously teaching chemistry, before his academic duties called him away from music back to the chemistry lab full time.

But his music hiatus was to be almost twenty-five years. It was not until Votoček reached his early 60’s, toward the end of his academic career, that he returned to music. But what a return it was! In the last fifteen or so years of his life, Votoček wrote almost sixty classical music pieces, mostly chamber music and pieces for piano, but also five orchestral works. Nor did Votoček write just for himself; the majority of his works were played either in public or on Czech radio.

So, polymath or not? Why not? He was a chemist and a classical composer, not to mention a dictionary writer. If we remember my definition of a polymath as one who is proficient in or who has made significant accomplishments in at least two widely disparate fields or three less disparate fields, why not Votoček? Chemist and music composition are pretty disparate.That 's good enough for me.