Otakar Mařák (5 January 1872 Esztergom, Hungary – 2 July 1939 Prague) was a Czech opera singer (a tenor), and a nephew of Julius Mařák, who perfected his vocal skills at Prague's School of Applied Arts as well as at the Czech Academy of Arts. At the same time he studied singing privately.
Mařák made his debut in the title role of Charles Gounod's opera Faust on 1 February 1899 in Brno, Czech Republic. In the same year he was engaged by the National Theatre in Prague. From 1901, he performed abroad. He was a regular member of the National Theatre between 1899–1901 and again in 1903–1907. Thereafter he sang on this first Czech stage as a permanent guest.[clarification needed] In 1907 he left for Paris, where he continued to school his voice then in 1908–1918 performed at London's Covent Garden and Berlin's Komische Oper.
Following World War I, Mařák became an American citizen and went on to teach in the country between 1934–1937. A brain seizure in 1937 forced his to return to Prague where he died two years later.
Otakar Mařák left a lot of records. The first were issued by Apollo-Walzen (Berlin 1901), Columbia Cylinders (Prague 1902-03) and Edison Cylinders (Prague 1904), then followed discs for G&T (1903-07), Columbia (Prague 1905), Gramophone (Prague and Berlin 1908-12), Odeon (Berlin 1908-09, here a.o. Canio in complete "Pagliacci"), Pathé (Berlin 1913), Columbia (New York 1919-20), Artiphon (Prague 1923), Columbia (New York 1926 and Vienna 1929), Parlophon (Prague 1929) and Ultraphon (Prague 1933).
Record of Otakar Mařák (Berlin 1908)
Legacy
Together with Emmy Destinn and Karel Burian, Mařák completed the trio of well-known early 20th century Czech singers.
Rainer E. Lotz, Axel Weggen, Oliver Wurl und Christian Zwarg: Otakar Mařák in "Discographie der deutschen Gesangsaufnahmen" Band 4, Birgit Lotz Verlag, Bonn 2005
