Biography of The Day: Leoš Janáček 2

[altmariusclassic]

Selected works

Operas

Leoš Janáček counts among the first opera composers who used prose for his libretti, not verse.^[95] He even wrote his own libretti to his last three operas. His libretti were translated into German by Max Brod.

• Šárka, libretto by Julius Zeyer (1887)
• Počátek Románu, "The Beginning of the Novel", libretto by Jaroslav Tichý after Gabriela Preissová (1894)
• Její pastorkyňa, "Her Stepdaughter", known in the English-speaking world as Jenůfa, libretto by the composer after Gabriela Preissová (1904)
• Osud, "Destiny", libretto by Fedora Bartošová (1904)
• Výlety páně Broučkovy, "The Excursions of Mr. Broucek", libretto by Viktor Dyk and František Sarafínský Procházka (1920)
• Káťa Kabanová, "Katya Kabanova", libretto by Vincenc Červinka, after Alexander Ostrovsky's The Storm (1921)
• Příhody lišky Bystroušky, "The Cunning Little Vixen", libretto by the composer, after Rudolf Těsnohlídek and Stanislav Lolek (1924)
• Věc Makropulos, "The Makropoulos Affair", libretto by the composer, after Karel Čapek (1926)
• Z mrtvého domu, "From the House of the Dead", libretto by the composer, after Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1927)

Orchestral

The early orchestral works are influenced by Romantic style, and especially by orchestral works of Dvořák. In his later works, created after 1900, Janáček found his own, original expression.

• "Idyll for String Orchestra"
• Suite for Strings
• Lachian Dances
• Hanakian Dances
• Moravian Dances
• Suite for Orchestra (1891)
• Jealousy (Czech: Žárlivost), overture for Orchestra (1894)
• The Fiddler's Child (1912–14)
• Taras Bulba (1918)
• Dunaj (Danube) Symphony (1923–25)
• Sinfonietta (1926)
• The Wandering of a Little Soul (violin concerto), (1926–27)

Vocal and choral

Janáček's choral works, known particularly in the Czech Republic, are considered extremely demanding. He wrote several choruses to the words of Czech poet Petr Bezruč.

• Lord, have mercy (1896)
• Amarus (1897)
• Otče náš (The Lord's Prayer, 1901, five-movement work for tenor solo, chorus, harp and organ)
• Elegy on the Death of Daughter Olga (1903)
• Kantor Halfar (Teacher Halfar) (1906)
• Maryčka Magdónova (1908)
• Sedmdesát tisíc (Seventy Thousand) (1909)
• The Eternal Gospel (1914)
• The Diary of One Who Disappeared (1919)
• The Wandering Madman (1922)
• Glagolitic Mass (1926)

Chamber and instrumental

His string quartets are at the core of 20th-century classical music repertoire. Much of his other notable chamber music is written for unconventional ensembles.

• Pohádka (Fairy Tale), for cello and piano (1910)
• Violin Sonata (1914)
• String Quartet No. 1, Kreutzer Sonata (1923)
• Youth (1924), wind sextet
• Concertino for piano and chamber ensemble (1925)
• Capriccio for piano (left hand) and wind ensemble (1926)
• String Quartet No. 2, Intimate Letters (1928)

Piano

Janáček composed his major piano works in a relatively short period of twelve years, from 1901 to 1912. His early Thema con variazioni (subtitled Zdenka's variations) is a student work composed in the styles of famous composers.^[96]

• 1. X. 1905 (Piano Sonata) (1905)
• On an Overgrown Path, Books 1 and 2 (1901–1911)
• In the Mists (1912)
• Intimate Sketches (published in 1994)

Selected writings

• 
  O dokonalé představě dvojzvuku (On the Perfect Image of Dyad Chord) (1885–1886)
• Bedřich Smetana o formách hudebních (Bedřich Smetana: On Music Forms) (1886)
• O představě tóniny (On an Idea of Key) (1886–1887)
• O vědeckosti nauk o harmonii (On Scientism of Harmony Theories) (1887)
• O trojzvuku (On a Triad) (1887–1888)
• Slovíčko o kontrapunktu (A Word on Counterpoint) (1888)
• Nový proud v teorii hudební (New Stream in Music Theory) (1894)
• O skladbě souzvukův a jejich spojův (On the Construction of Chords and Their Progressions) (1896)
• Moderní harmonická hudba (Modern Harmonic Music) (1907)
• Můj názor o sčasování (rytmu) (My Opinion of "sčasování" (Rhythm)) (1907)
• Z praktické části o sčasování (rytmu) (On "sčasování" From practice) (1908)
• Váha reálních motivů (The Weight of Real Motifs) (1910)
• O průběhu duševní práce skladatelské (On the Course of Mental Compositional Work) (1916)
• Úplná nauka o harmonii (Harmony Theory) (1920)
  
  

00:00:00 Sonata I.X.: I. Foreboding
00:05:59 Sonata I.X.: II. Death
00:12:51 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: I. Our Evenings
00:16:08 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: II. A Blown Away Leaf
00:19:36 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: III. Come with Us!
00:20:15 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: IV. The Madonna of Frýdek
00:24:17 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: V. They Chattered Like Swallows
00:26:28 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: VI. Words Fail!
00:28:32 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: VII. Good Night!
00:31:01 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: VIII. Unutterable Anguish
00:34:10 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: IX. In Tears
00:37:08 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 1: X. The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away!
00:41:04 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 2: I. Andante - Un poco piú mosso
00:44:22 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 2: II. Allegretto - Poco mosso
00:47:21 On an Overgrown Path, Pt. 2: III. Vivo - Presto (Completed by H. Austbø)
00:49:07 In the Mist: I. Andante - Poco mosso
00:52:30 In the Mist: II. Molto adagio - Presto
00:56:56 In the Mist: III. Andantino - Poco mosso
01:00:11 In the Mist: IV. Presto - Meno mosso - Andante
01:04:32 Tema con variazioni
01:14:48 In Remembrance
01:16:26 Ej, danaj!
01:18:21 Music for Gymnastics
01:23:21 To My Olga
01:23:57 On an Overgrown Path, Two Rejected Pieces: I. Più mosso
01:26:28 On an Overgrown Path, Two Rejected Pieces: II. Allegro
01:31:26 Moravian Dances: Dymák - Starodávný - Valaška - Požehnaný - Pilky - Kalamajka - Trojky - Sekerecka - Kolo - Celadenský
01:39:40 6 Miniatures: I. Lord Jesus Christ Is Born
01:40:21 6 Miniatures: II. Moderato
01:41:29 6 Miniatures: III. Without Title
01:42:04 6 Miniatures: IV. Cradle Song
01:42:57 6 Miniatures: V. Melodie
01:43:27 6 Miniatures: VI. Palace of Malostranský
01:44:32 Moravian Folksongs
01:52:29 A Recollection
01:54:26 Intimate Sketches: I. Merely blind fate?
01:55:27 Intimate Sketches: II. So That One Could Never Return
01:56:37 Intimate Sketches: III. The Golden Ring
01:56:50 Intimate Sketches: IV. I Am Waiting for You!