{"id":563,"date":"2023-02-16T09:47:12","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T14:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/?p=563"},"modified":"2023-02-20T10:01:54","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T15:01:54","slug":"krasna-amerika-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/2023\/02\/16\/krasna-amerika-2\/","title":{"rendered":"“Kr\u00e1sn\u00e1 Amerika”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From left to right: Jerome Patek, Jim Patek, Charlie Patek (back), John Patek,<\/em>
Ladie Patek, Joe Pate<\/em>k<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“I sure wish polka music like [Joe Patek Orchestra] was still around,” Mary Ann Pullin commented in a blog post. That blog post commemorates the legacy of the Joe Patek Orchestra and the influence they had on musicians across Texas. The blog can be read here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kr\u00e1sn\u00e1 Amerika translates to Beautiful America and was performed all over Texas by the Joe Patek Orchestra. The band has made such a lasting impact on polka music and music in Texas that there is a book called Kr\u00e1sn\u00e1 Amerika which talks about Czech Texan heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Front cover of “Beautiful America” which covers Czech Texan life and the history of the culture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The band began with John Patek when he moved to Texas at the end of the 19th century and started a family. He was already a musician in Czech, and when he moved to Texas he continued his career in Shiner, TX. His son, Joe Patek, took leadership of the band in the mid-1900s and performed their popular songs through rural towns and big cities. Joe Patek became one of the most popular Czech polka bandleaders with the Joe Patek Orchestra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within Shiner, TX, the Patek family is well known. The Patek family has a pharmacy, grocery store, and a lot of other stores that descendants of John Patek own. People say “Shiner, Texas is known for the [Joe Patek] Orchestra and Shiner Beer”.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Google Map Screenshot of Shiner, TX in Relation to Large Cities. Red Star is Shiner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Shiner, TX is located in the middle of several of the main cities. It is in the middle of rural Texas, but the band could go to the large cities with a couple hour drive and perform there over the weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Google Map Screenshot of Shiner, TX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shiner, TX is a small town that may be overlooked, but it has a lot of musical history as well as influence on the culture with its Shiner Beer.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Shiner, TX and Patek Grocery & Market Store.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Patek Family still has a grocery store in Shiner, TX where John Patek’s descendants own and run the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kr\u00e1sn\u00e1 Amerika became popular within the Mexican-American communities and each cultural music influenced the others. Kr\u00e1sn\u00e1 Amerika is considered a polka song with western influences. Polka music is distinguishable by its 2\/4 time. Joe Patek Orchestra was a different style of polka with a \u201charder sound and emphasis on swing\u201d. There is a mix of German, Bohemian, and Mexican-American cultures in Texas, which shows in Kr\u00e1sn\u00e1 Amerika.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the Joe Patek Orchestra changed the sounds of Czech-Texan music and influenced Texan polka music and other musicians. It was a prominate band and their name will forever be known in Shiner, TX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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