Janáček, Leoš 1854 - 1928
Author: Ozaki, Koichi
Last updated：January 1, 2010
Author: Ozaki, Koichi
Leoš Janáček was born on July 3, 1854, in Moravia, into a family of cantors (who served as teachers, musicians, and church choir directors). Although Janáček is known primarily as an opera composer, exemplified by Jenůfa, his relatively few piano works are a significant genre, as they quite concretely reflect his sentiments at the time of their composition.
From his mid-thirties, he began transcribing folk songs from his native Moravia, and this fieldwork directly influenced his compositional style. Distinctively, he did not incorporate them exotically, like his compatriots Dvořák and Smetana, but rather used them directly as a compositional idiom, thus preceding later composers such as Bartók and Kodály.
Concurrently, he showed interest in the national revival movement, and a considerable number of his works were politically inspired. This element stemmed from the sense of ethnic alienation he had felt in "centers" like Leipzig and Vienna, and the fact that his homeland was under Austrian rule, which transformed into an outpouring of patriotism. This was not unrelated to his incorporation of folk songs into his compositions. Upon returning from Vienna, he began to refuse to speak German in public and never rode streetcars because their signs were in German.
Although his stance softened in his later years, he was one of the few composers who recognized the pride of his nation and the responsibility of individuals living in uncertain times, reflecting this reality in his music. In that sense, Schulhoff, also born in Bohemia and who served as a répétiteur during the premiere of Jenůfa, might have been his sole successor.
Works(14)
Piano Solo (6)
sonata (1)
pieces (4)
variation (1)