Czech Composer Petr Eben Dies at 78

PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Czech composer Petr Eben, whose wide variety of music has been performed around the globe, has died. He was 78.

Eben died late Wednesday at his home in Prague, his son Marek told the CTK news agency Thursday. He was battling an unspecified long-term illness.

Born Jan. 22, 1929, Eben showed a musical talent at early age. He was able to play piano at age 6 and organ at 9. A year later, he composed his first musical pieces.

After World War II, when he was interned by the Nazis in the Buchenwald concentration camp, he studied piano and composition at Prague's Academy of Music, and taught at Prague's Charles University and the Academy of …