Jan Bernátek studied the piano playing at the State Conservatoire Ostrava (1968-74), then continued at the JAMU in Brno(1974-79). In 1988 he completed his compositional studies with Ilja Hurník at the State Conservatoire Praha. In 1989-89 he was working as a music coach at a few institutions: Prague male chorus FOK, Singing and Dancing Department of the Prague Conservatoire, Operatic studio at the National Theatre in Prague. Since 1989 he acted as teacher of piano at the Music School of Prague, and since 1994 he has became also a teacher at the Jan Neruda Secondary Music School in Prague. In his compositional output chamber music and vocal works dominate, he is inclined to set to music poetry of Frantisek Hrubin. Since the early 1990s the works with spiritual inspiration have taken the most important position in his creation. As a pianist he is often involved in perfoming his compositions. He cooperates with his wife soprano Hana Bernátkova on vocal music perfomances, and with mixed church choir in Rožnov pod Radhošt on the perfomances of religious music.
Works:
Tři skladby pro ženský sbor a varhany -Magnificat,Adventní,Vánoční /2005/
Tři dueta pro zpěv a klavír /2007/
Hádanky pro dětský sbor a klavír /2007/
Missa brevis pro ženský sbor a capella / druhá verze pro smíšený sbor a capella /2008/
Zasela sem bazaličku pro vyšší hlas a klavír / 2010/
Mezi dvěma vinohrady pro smíšený sbor a klavír na texty moravské lid. poezie /2011/
Zpívejte píseň radostnou-vánoční skladby pro smíš.sbor,sola,smyčce,flétnu a varhany /2016/
Svatá Zdislava pro smíš.sbor,recitátorku a varhany /2016/
Missa festiva pro smíšený sbor a varhany /2017/
Čas radosti,veselosti-vánoční písně pro smíš.sbor smyčce,flétnu a varhany /2018/