František Hertl

František Hertl (18 April 1906, Zbůch – 23 February 1973, Prague) was a Czech double bassist, composer and conductor. Life Hertl was the oldest of five children born in to a Kapellmeister. As a child he was taught by his father; he played violin and several other instruments. In 1920 he took the entrance exam for violin study at the Prague Conservatory; on the recommendation of František Černý he switched to double bass, and studied with Černý at the Conservatory from then on. After concluding his studies in 1926, Hertl was engaged as principal bassist at the National Theatre in Ljubljana. At the same time, he took a teaching position at a music school in the city. After a short stint in the military, he became the principal bassist of the Czech Philharmonic, then directed by Václav Talich, with whom Hertl studied conducting. He also studied composition from 1933 to 1936 with Otakar Šín and Jaroslav Řídký at the Prague Conservatory. In 1935, he left the Czech Philharmonic and took a position with the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Prague (Symfonický orchestr Českého rozhlasu). He served as principal double bassist there until 1950. From 1936 to 1950 he was also the artistic director a