The Excursions of Mr. Broucek on the Moon and in the 15th Century
Encyclopedia
The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon and to the 15th Century (Czech:
: Výlety pánĕ Broučkovy) is the complete title of Leoš Janáček
’s fifth opera
, based on two Svatopluk Čech
novels, Pravý výlet pana Broučka do Měsíce (1888) (The True Excursion of Mr. Brouček to the Moon) and Nový epochální výlet pana Broučka, tentokráte do XV. století (1889) ('‘The Epoch-making Excursion of Mr. Brouček, this time to the 15th Century'’). The librettists for Part 1 were František Gellner, Viktor Dyk, František Sarafínský Procházka and others, while Part 2 was written by F. S. Procházka.
This two-part satirical opera was premiered at the National Theatre
in Prague
on April 23, 1920, the only Janáček opera not premiered in Brno
.
Mr. Brouček (translated as “Mr. Beetle” (literally little beetle)) is a Philistine landlord in Prague who experiences a series of fantastic events as he is swept away (due in large part to excessive drinking) first to the moon and then to 15th-century Prague, during the Hussite
uprising against the Holy Roman Empire in 1420 (see Synopsis). In both excursions, Brouček encounters characters who are transformed versions of his earthly acquaintances.
Due to the popularity of the original novels by the iconic Czech writer, Svatopluk Čech, the opera was met with much scrutiny. Janáček experienced a number of setbacks in the creation and rehearsal of the work, especially in dealing with librettists (See Background). The composer’s aim in The Excursions of Mr. Brouček was apparently quite specific: “I want us to be disgusted with such people, to stamp on them and strangle them when we meet them,” speaking of Brouček. Janáček’s campaign, along with Čech’s, was against the pettiness of the bourgeoisie
, specifically of Czechoslovakia
. However, according to Desmond Shawe-Taylor
, who saw the opera performed in Czechoslovakia, most observers reacted with cheerful laughter and even felt a bit sorry for the poor fellow Brouček. He became almost lovable rather than despised, as Janáček had originally intended, and his shortcomings, failings, and ordinariness tend to be seen as qualities common to regular citizens of all lands.
. The original concept of the opera was to be based on a still popular novel series of the same name by Svatopluk Čech
(1846–1908). After beginning the composition, Janáček set out to find a librettist who would fit his interpretation and realization of Čech’s stories.
In the early 20th century, Janáček sought to write an opera based on Čech’s novels; however, Čech outrightly denied him the rights to his stories. Janáček eventually put the project aside until Čech’s death in 1908. At this time, Janáček was reminded of his previous desire to set the story and sent letters to Artuš Rektorys, a friend of his in Prague, asking him to check the availability of the rights now that Čech had died. Rektorys responded with news that Čech’s family was hesitant to release the rights, but after hearing from Janáček himself, they agreed to give him sole use of the novels. Shortly after being granted permission to begin composition, another composer, Karel Moor had also written to Rektorys inquiring about Janáček’s Brouček. Moor claimed he was given sole permission to the stories by Čech’s younger brother, Vladimír. This matter was quickly attended to and it was found that Moor had not received valid permission. This did not stop him from producing an opera; it reached the stage in 1910 some ten years before Janáček’s, but with none of the success or longevity.
In March 1908, Janáček had set out to find a suitable librettist. Rektorys had recommended Karel Mašek; however, Mašek was not overly willing to undertake the assignment, a precursor to future trouble with the piece. After many discussions and a warning from Mašek that he was very much preoccupied, Janáček had sent his needs to Mašek with a deadline for Act I’s completion. By July 1908 it had becoming increasingly clear that Mašek and Janáček had two very different ideas as to the outcome of Brouček. Mašek wrote that Janáček’s ideas were too far from the original novel, which portrayed Brouček as haughty. Other conflicting views include the addition of two characters not in the original piece, the Young Waiter and Mazal. With the Young Waiter, Mašek conceded, but said this about Mazal:
These disagreements paired with Mašek’s over-commitment with other works at the time led to his self-dismissal from the project in October of the same year. Janáček rebounded quickly from the loss of the librettist and started investigating a replacement.
In November 1908, Josef Holý was invited to the project, but he refused due to lack of interest in the material and said “If there is not the will or the right mood, it would not turn out well, however I tried, and so I ask you to count me out.” With Holý gone, Janáček turned to Dr. Zikmund Janke, an ear, nose and throat doctor working both in Prague and Luhačovice
.
As with Mašek, there was a general disagreement between what Janáček had in mind and what Dr. Janke envisioned. Janáček was very amiable with colleagues and accepted what Janke had given him, including his harsh words. At this point, Janke had written an entire first act and started on the second when Janáček sent him a new outline to follow with new characterizations for ten of the roles. Out of all that was written thus far, only two lines of a drinking song survived the final cuts of Janke’s work in the first act. In 1910, Janáček discovered through letters with Artuš Rektorys that Josef Holý, who originally turned down the project, had produced a ballet
entitled The Moon. This shows that Holý had more interest than he had previously let on, as the ballet was conceptualized on Čech’s story of Brouček. In April 1911 Janáček reconnected with Holý asking for help with a song during the moon scene.
The next librettist was introduced to Janáček by Holý to help spread the work load around. František Gellner, a satirical poet, would eventually contribute the most work to the piece that still survives today of all the librettists that worked on the project. They worked together from June 1912 until June 1913, where a standstill took place and Janáček set to work on other projects. Gellner did write an ending to the piece, so why the pause happened is really only known to Janáček, as conceptually the structure was finished with only details remaining. However, the work resumed in November 1915 when Janáček decided that Brouček was worth finishing and promptly set to work finding the next librettist in line for the job.
The position went to Josef Peška, one of the men who helped secure Jenůfa
in Prague. With great enthusiasm he joined the list of writers who had accepted the work without reading the previously written libretto or musical score
. Once Peška had read all the provided materials he sent a prompt response to Janáček reminding him to observe other people's renditions of the same piece. Most importantly he told Janáček a piece of information that will come back as critics review the opera after it reaches the stage, and that is that one needs to know Čech’s story in order to understand the humor in Janáček and Gellner’s version. He wrote a very private version, where one must have preexisting knowledge of the storyline to fully appreciate the piece. In addition he sent him a list of new librettists who could help complete the project, with F.S. Procházka at the top.
It is unclear whether Janáček sent Gellner’s ending to the opera to Procházka, because he created one of his own, starting with Act 3 until the end. Janáček gave his librettist complete freedom in range when it came to writing. He would provide an action, then state his indifference to how the action is accomplished, only that it needed to be. When something did not work for him, he would simply rewrite it himself. With this practice, Janáček wrote a larger piece of the work than most of the librettists did.
The piece was finished in 1916 with only details remaining, including the ending written by Gellner, and then adjusted by Janáček. A friend of Janáček, Jiří Mahen, was then enlisted to help overhaul sections of the opera. This position was used for editing purposes, but mostly the work that Janáček had provided, not necessarily the work of the other librettists. Mahen was uninformed as to how many others had worked on the piece, and was also unaware that it was actually completely done and set to music. After spending much time on the opera, Mahen was also surprised to learn that not only had the work been finished, but that Viktor Dyk
had been penned as the librettist.
Janáček explained this in a letter to Mahen (naturally, he demanded satisfaction) saying that Dyk had approved of the original version Janáček had in mind, that so many others tried to change and had then supplied a more appropriate ending that fits more to Čech’s ending of the story.
Dyk and Janáček had worked diligently changing around music, text, scenes, characters, etc. to their liking, keeping only bits and pieces of what others had done. Mašek’s work was reduced to two lines of work and Dr. Janke’s work to a drinking song. The rest was removed in letters between Dyk and Janáček from Brno to Prague and vice versa.
Viktor Dyk was arrested for resistance activities against the Austro-Hungarian Empire
, so again Janáček was in need of a new partner. Instead of finding a stranger to the piece, he went back to F.S. Procházka and asked his help in fine-tuning a few songs and scene changes, which he gladly accepted. Up until this point the opera ended when Mr. Brouček returns from his 'moon voyage' only to find out that it was a drunken dream, but after reteaming with Procházka, Janáček posed the idea to start dramatizing the second Čech novel, The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the XV Century. The two quickly leapt on this idea and began writing at once. By the end of 1918, they had compressed the entire opera into three acts, Act 1 in Prague in 1920, Act II on the moon and Act 3 in Prague in 1420. They even added a new set of characters that stayed with the opera’s theme of recurring characters through this new third act (see list of characters).
In October 1918 Janáček had learned that Brouček would be performed at the National Theatre in Prague, given some adjustments to be made to costumes and set pieces. With the new trimmed-down version with three acts, there were fewer scene changes to be made, which pleased National Theatre Director Schmoranz. After discussions, casting and orchestra rehearsal, there very few changes still needing to be made (most were vocal range issues — Janáček wrote very high tessitura for singers).
in 1996, although it had received a concert performance by the San Francisco Opera Ensemble on 23 January 1981. Indiana University gave the opera its American television premiere in December 1981 with Joseph Levitt (tenor), Adda Shur (soprano), Samuel Cook (tenor), Martin Strother (baritone), and Philip Skinner
(baritone) from the Indiana University Opera Theater and conducted by Bryan Balkwill
. It was performed by English National Opera
at the London Coliseum in 1978, and by Opera North
at the Grand Theatre Leeds
in October 2009.
The stage premiere of the Ur-version of Brouček (without the excursion to the 15th century) took place at the Janáček Theatre
Brno on 19 November 2010 as part of the Janáček Biennale, conducted by Jaroslav Kyzlink, with Jaroslav Březina in the title role.
colony of lunar artists and intellectuals, whom the uncultured Brouček clearly despises. He finds himself in the home of an avant-garde artist, Blankytny (a parallel character to Mazál). Blankytny sings a heartfelt ode
of platonic love to the lunar maiden, Etherea. This signals the arrival of Etherea and her ‘sisters’ who commence with a song preaching the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Ironically, Brouček catches the eye of the maiden, who becomes instantly infatuated with the exotic stranger. She whisks him away aboard mythical Pegasus
, leaving behind Blankytny in disbelief and despair.
, Mr. Brouček and his fellow drinkers debate the particulars of the medieval tunnels that were believed to exist beneath the city of Prague. Once again, an inebriated Brouček staggers toward his home and is interrupted. He finds himself somehow in one of these dark tunnels, where he encounters apparitions from the past. One of these ghostly figures is Svatopluk Čech, the author of the Brouček stories and a famous Czech poet. Čech expresses his regret over the decline of moral values in the Czech nation. He sings about the loss of true heroes and yearns for a rebirth of his nation. Ironically, Čech’s lament is directed toward Brouček himself and toward the satirical nature of this very opera.
in 1420. This is a tumultuous period in 15th-century Prague, when the Czech people, led by Jan Hus
, were under siege by the German armies of the Holy Roman Empire
. Brouček is quickly confronted by Hussite rebels, who accuse him of being a German spy, due to his poor Czech grammar laden with German expressions. Brouček somehow convinces the rebels that he is on their side and is allowed to join them.
in Brouček may not be clearly or easily defined, but there are several aspects that come to the forefront as one begins to look deeper into some of the composer’s compositional ideas, regarding both music and speech/language.
is constant throughout the short group of, perhaps, three to five note
s. The note values must be equal, and a motif may begin on any beat
, but may not end on a downbeat. Janáček’s methods of alteration of a motif are varied, but no matter what he does to the melody
, the harmony
, key
, tempo
, mode
, register
, or any of the contextual material, the rhythm
remains unaltered, thereby, in his opinion, maintaining the original motif as a recognizable entity. Example 1 (see Musical examples below) shows a motif from Brouček and illustrates some alterations of the same motif. Example 2 is another motif used in the opera. Janáček often employs short musical phrases
that extend beyond his unique definition of a motif, creating what Cooper calls a motive.
A motive includes different note values, and its iterations may end on a downbeat. It turns out that most of Janáček’s small operatic elements, whether instrumental, vocal, or both, are motives. An example of a motive in Brouček is the use of high violins and flutes punctuating a pedal point
a half step apart (Part 1) to indicate the moon up in the heavens where Brouček imagines he can escape from the cares of the world. Although for the most part, motives behave like motifs, and are quite similar in their usage, Janáček would have thought of them separately.
A third and larger building block in Brouček is what Dieter Stroebel calls a melos, which describes a segment of music that is longer and more melodious than those of the motif or motive, such as Example 3.
It is well known that Janáček’s music was greatly influenced by the nature and sounds of Czech speech and language. One may begin to clearly recognize this influence as it appears in the relationship between the musical motif and Czech words. For example, when a word in Czech changes tense, it often changes the sound of the vowel in that word, paralleling Janáček’s contour alteration of a short motif. Also, in Czech, the first syllable of a word is stressed, allowing distinction of each word by the beginning sound. The avoidance of ending a motif on the downbeat could be seen as analogous Czech speech avoiding stress on any syllable other than the first. Third, the final syllable of a Czech word is to receive full value without changing the pitch or weakening the sound. This closely relates to Janáček’s idea of maintaining a single dynamic in his motifs. Janáček also had a strong interest in the melody of speech (see quote above): intonation, stress, length, and pitch.
, preludes
, or overture
s. Made up of several short musical items and motives that will show up later in the opera, the music is propelled by the abrupt juxtaposition of these ideas, which often come in a different order than they will appear throughout the opera proper. There are three melodies of importance in the introduction to Part 1 of Brouček. The first is a light, rhythmically uncertain figure (Example 4) that leads to quickly to the stocky bassoon melody (Example 5), which is a caricature
of Brouček. This melody appears many times subsequently and in different forms. The third is the tender melody first introduced by the flute and violins (Example 3), which represents the young lovers Málinka and Mazal. This melody is also altered several times, and there is an allusion to Blankytný (= Mazal) and Etherea (= Málinka) on the moon. All three motives are present in the closing moments of Part 1, an orchestral interlude that brings Brouček back to earth from his dream.
Throughout The Excursion to the Moon, Janáček makes extensive use of waltz
es and waltz-like melodies, which were apparently misheard by the Russian composer Dmitri Kabalevsky
, who considered them “à la Strauss
”. However, Janáček’s bright and humorous melodies are very different from those of Strauss, as they tend to be much less elegant and often serve the intent of parody or mockery. It is speculated that Janáček also intended the use of waltzes to denote the class of citizen that Brouček represents – the middle-/upper-class dance pointing to the characteristics of the middle-/upper-class Brouček. Even from the opening of the opera, faint allusions of a waltz can be heard between statements of the light 2/4 melody. The prelude dissolves into the opening scene, which begins with the bickering of Málinka and Mazal set to a waltz. A fantastic example of a waltz as a parody is the Child Prodigy’s singing of the moon anthem, which actually is a spoof of the Czech national song. The “audience” within the opera hears it as a serious patriotic anthem, while the opera house
audience perceives it as a parody anthem. Janáček uses the music of a waltz at the end of the first dream to break the tension of the moon population’s threats against Brouček and help resolve the plot. Many other waltzes can be found in the first part of the opera, some more deliberate than others, and Janáček made very purposeful use of each one as a device to aid in communicating unspoken, often satirical content. Though Janáček frequently uses the waltz in an ironic or parodic light, they seem to flow and function entirely within the musical framework of the opera.
Overall, Part 2 of the opera, The Excursion of Mr. Brouček to the Fifteenth Century, is distinctly different in musical style from Part 1. The starkly different nature of the situations of each part and the several years that separated the actual composition of the two parts are likely reasons for this difference. It opens with jarring rhythms and the sounds of warfare. Two main themes are present in this introduction that reappear in different forms all through Part 2 (Examples 6 and 7). Also present in this part of the opera are Hussite chorale
s and hymns, one of which can be heard building as Brouček and Domšík go into the Týn Church on the Old Town Square. The chorale then culminates in a proud statement in C major.
One of Janáček’s compositional procedures is the significant use of the pitch Ab/G# in the last forty minutes of the opera. The key of Ab minor plays an important role in many of Janáček’s compositions, including operas, string quartets, song cycles, piano miniatures, sonatas and orchestral works, no matter whether it is found in comic, tragic, funny, serious, or ironic passages. He preferred to make use of a single tonal area in scenes of steady emotion, or of a single set of characters on stage. This led to his adoption of often assigning a single pitch area to an entire scene, “by which, remarkably, he generates speedy and substantial change and enormous tension and emotion," according to Cooper. Though the listener may not easily recognize the frequent use of the pitch Ab/G# as it is clouded by different harmonies, the single pitch plays a crucial role in connecting differing ideas throughout Part 2. Example 8 points to an ill-tempered Brouček leaping up to Ab on his main point. Later in Part 2, as Brouček pleads for mercy during his condemnation scene, he explains that he “wasn’t born yet,” and that he is “a son of the future,” both ending on Ab (Example 9).
Some critics have also pointed out that the moon excursion has a basic flaw in the plot: there is no real “hero” to balance out Brouček, who is the “villain” on the moon. Richard Bradshaw
, who conducted the professional premiere in the United States, said of Brouček, “The two ‘excursions’ have been described as one flawed masterpiece made up of two operas.”
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
: Výlety pánĕ Broučkovy) is the complete title of Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
’s fifth opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, based on two Svatopluk Čech
Svatopluk Cech
Svatopluk Čech was a Czech writer, journalist and poet.Čech studied at gymnasium in Prague, then studied law, and later worked in the journals Květy, Lumír and Světozor.His first poem, Husita na Baltu, was published in the almanac Ruch in 1868...
novels, Pravý výlet pana Broučka do Měsíce (1888) (The True Excursion of Mr. Brouček to the Moon) and Nový epochální výlet pana Broučka, tentokráte do XV. století (1889) ('‘The Epoch-making Excursion of Mr. Brouček, this time to the 15th Century'’). The librettists for Part 1 were František Gellner, Viktor Dyk, František Sarafínský Procházka and others, while Part 2 was written by F. S. Procházka.
This two-part satirical opera was premiered at the National Theatre
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on April 23, 1920, the only Janáček opera not premiered in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
.
Mr. Brouček (translated as “Mr. Beetle” (literally little beetle)) is a Philistine landlord in Prague who experiences a series of fantastic events as he is swept away (due in large part to excessive drinking) first to the moon and then to 15th-century Prague, during the Hussite
Hussite
The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...
uprising against the Holy Roman Empire in 1420 (see Synopsis). In both excursions, Brouček encounters characters who are transformed versions of his earthly acquaintances.
Due to the popularity of the original novels by the iconic Czech writer, Svatopluk Čech, the opera was met with much scrutiny. Janáček experienced a number of setbacks in the creation and rehearsal of the work, especially in dealing with librettists (See Background). The composer’s aim in The Excursions of Mr. Brouček was apparently quite specific: “I want us to be disgusted with such people, to stamp on them and strangle them when we meet them,” speaking of Brouček. Janáček’s campaign, along with Čech’s, was against the pettiness of the bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
, specifically of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. However, according to Desmond Shawe-Taylor
Desmond Shawe-Taylor (music critic)
Desmond Christopher Shawe Taylor, , was a British writer, co-author of The Record Guide, music critic of The New Statesman, The New Yorker and The Sunday Times and a regular and long-standing contributor to The Gramophone.-Biography:Shawe-Taylor was born in Dublin, the elder of two sons of...
, who saw the opera performed in Czechoslovakia, most observers reacted with cheerful laughter and even felt a bit sorry for the poor fellow Brouček. He became almost lovable rather than despised, as Janáček had originally intended, and his shortcomings, failings, and ordinariness tend to be seen as qualities common to regular citizens of all lands.
Composition history
The composition of Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon was a long process complete with no fewer than seven librettistsLibretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
. The original concept of the opera was to be based on a still popular novel series of the same name by Svatopluk Čech
Svatopluk Cech
Svatopluk Čech was a Czech writer, journalist and poet.Čech studied at gymnasium in Prague, then studied law, and later worked in the journals Květy, Lumír and Světozor.His first poem, Husita na Baltu, was published in the almanac Ruch in 1868...
(1846–1908). After beginning the composition, Janáček set out to find a librettist who would fit his interpretation and realization of Čech’s stories.
In the early 20th century, Janáček sought to write an opera based on Čech’s novels; however, Čech outrightly denied him the rights to his stories. Janáček eventually put the project aside until Čech’s death in 1908. At this time, Janáček was reminded of his previous desire to set the story and sent letters to Artuš Rektorys, a friend of his in Prague, asking him to check the availability of the rights now that Čech had died. Rektorys responded with news that Čech’s family was hesitant to release the rights, but after hearing from Janáček himself, they agreed to give him sole use of the novels. Shortly after being granted permission to begin composition, another composer, Karel Moor had also written to Rektorys inquiring about Janáček’s Brouček. Moor claimed he was given sole permission to the stories by Čech’s younger brother, Vladimír. This matter was quickly attended to and it was found that Moor had not received valid permission. This did not stop him from producing an opera; it reached the stage in 1910 some ten years before Janáček’s, but with none of the success or longevity.
In March 1908, Janáček had set out to find a suitable librettist. Rektorys had recommended Karel Mašek; however, Mašek was not overly willing to undertake the assignment, a precursor to future trouble with the piece. After many discussions and a warning from Mašek that he was very much preoccupied, Janáček had sent his needs to Mašek with a deadline for Act I’s completion. By July 1908 it had becoming increasingly clear that Mašek and Janáček had two very different ideas as to the outcome of Brouček. Mašek wrote that Janáček’s ideas were too far from the original novel, which portrayed Brouček as haughty. Other conflicting views include the addition of two characters not in the original piece, the Young Waiter and Mazal. With the Young Waiter, Mašek conceded, but said this about Mazal:
…I can’t bring myself to add this part to Čech’s work in addition to Mazal at the Vikàrka. Čech’s Mr. Brouček would never have fraternized with Mazal and sat with him in the same pub.
These disagreements paired with Mašek’s over-commitment with other works at the time led to his self-dismissal from the project in October of the same year. Janáček rebounded quickly from the loss of the librettist and started investigating a replacement.
In November 1908, Josef Holý was invited to the project, but he refused due to lack of interest in the material and said “If there is not the will or the right mood, it would not turn out well, however I tried, and so I ask you to count me out.” With Holý gone, Janáček turned to Dr. Zikmund Janke, an ear, nose and throat doctor working both in Prague and Luhačovice
Luhacovice
Luhačovice is a spa town in the Zlín Region, Moravia, Czech Republic.It occupies a valley, whose elevation is a minimum of 250 m above sea level...
.
As with Mašek, there was a general disagreement between what Janáček had in mind and what Dr. Janke envisioned. Janáček was very amiable with colleagues and accepted what Janke had given him, including his harsh words. At this point, Janke had written an entire first act and started on the second when Janáček sent him a new outline to follow with new characterizations for ten of the roles. Out of all that was written thus far, only two lines of a drinking song survived the final cuts of Janke’s work in the first act. In 1910, Janáček discovered through letters with Artuš Rektorys that Josef Holý, who originally turned down the project, had produced a ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
entitled The Moon. This shows that Holý had more interest than he had previously let on, as the ballet was conceptualized on Čech’s story of Brouček. In April 1911 Janáček reconnected with Holý asking for help with a song during the moon scene.
The next librettist was introduced to Janáček by Holý to help spread the work load around. František Gellner, a satirical poet, would eventually contribute the most work to the piece that still survives today of all the librettists that worked on the project. They worked together from June 1912 until June 1913, where a standstill took place and Janáček set to work on other projects. Gellner did write an ending to the piece, so why the pause happened is really only known to Janáček, as conceptually the structure was finished with only details remaining. However, the work resumed in November 1915 when Janáček decided that Brouček was worth finishing and promptly set to work finding the next librettist in line for the job.
The position went to Josef Peška, one of the men who helped secure Jenůfa
Jenufa
Jenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
in Prague. With great enthusiasm he joined the list of writers who had accepted the work without reading the previously written libretto or musical score
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
. Once Peška had read all the provided materials he sent a prompt response to Janáček reminding him to observe other people's renditions of the same piece. Most importantly he told Janáček a piece of information that will come back as critics review the opera after it reaches the stage, and that is that one needs to know Čech’s story in order to understand the humor in Janáček and Gellner’s version. He wrote a very private version, where one must have preexisting knowledge of the storyline to fully appreciate the piece. In addition he sent him a list of new librettists who could help complete the project, with F.S. Procházka at the top.
It is unclear whether Janáček sent Gellner’s ending to the opera to Procházka, because he created one of his own, starting with Act 3 until the end. Janáček gave his librettist complete freedom in range when it came to writing. He would provide an action, then state his indifference to how the action is accomplished, only that it needed to be. When something did not work for him, he would simply rewrite it himself. With this practice, Janáček wrote a larger piece of the work than most of the librettists did.
The piece was finished in 1916 with only details remaining, including the ending written by Gellner, and then adjusted by Janáček. A friend of Janáček, Jiří Mahen, was then enlisted to help overhaul sections of the opera. This position was used for editing purposes, but mostly the work that Janáček had provided, not necessarily the work of the other librettists. Mahen was uninformed as to how many others had worked on the piece, and was also unaware that it was actually completely done and set to music. After spending much time on the opera, Mahen was also surprised to learn that not only had the work been finished, but that Viktor Dyk
Viktor Dyk
Viktor Dyk was a well-known Czech poet, prose writer, playwright, politician and political writer....
had been penned as the librettist.
Janáček explained this in a letter to Mahen (naturally, he demanded satisfaction) saying that Dyk had approved of the original version Janáček had in mind, that so many others tried to change and had then supplied a more appropriate ending that fits more to Čech’s ending of the story.
Dyk and Janáček had worked diligently changing around music, text, scenes, characters, etc. to their liking, keeping only bits and pieces of what others had done. Mašek’s work was reduced to two lines of work and Dr. Janke’s work to a drinking song. The rest was removed in letters between Dyk and Janáček from Brno to Prague and vice versa.
Viktor Dyk was arrested for resistance activities against the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, so again Janáček was in need of a new partner. Instead of finding a stranger to the piece, he went back to F.S. Procházka and asked his help in fine-tuning a few songs and scene changes, which he gladly accepted. Up until this point the opera ended when Mr. Brouček returns from his 'moon voyage' only to find out that it was a drunken dream, but after reteaming with Procházka, Janáček posed the idea to start dramatizing the second Čech novel, The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the XV Century. The two quickly leapt on this idea and began writing at once. By the end of 1918, they had compressed the entire opera into three acts, Act 1 in Prague in 1920, Act II on the moon and Act 3 in Prague in 1420. They even added a new set of characters that stayed with the opera’s theme of recurring characters through this new third act (see list of characters).
In October 1918 Janáček had learned that Brouček would be performed at the National Theatre in Prague, given some adjustments to be made to costumes and set pieces. With the new trimmed-down version with three acts, there were fewer scene changes to be made, which pleased National Theatre Director Schmoranz. After discussions, casting and orchestra rehearsal, there very few changes still needing to be made (most were vocal range issues — Janáček wrote very high tessitura for singers).
Performance history
The UK premiere took place on 5 September 1970 at the King's Theatre in Edinburgh. The opera did not receive its first American performance until its premiere at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A.Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the world's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy...
in 1996, although it had received a concert performance by the San Francisco Opera Ensemble on 23 January 1981. Indiana University gave the opera its American television premiere in December 1981 with Joseph Levitt (tenor), Adda Shur (soprano), Samuel Cook (tenor), Martin Strother (baritone), and Philip Skinner
Philip Skinner
Philip Skinner is an American bass-baritone who has sung leading roles in both North American and European opera houses. A veteran performer at San Francisco Opera, he made his debut there in 1985 and has gone on to sing over 35 roles with the company...
(baritone) from the Indiana University Opera Theater and conducted by Bryan Balkwill
Bryan Balkwill
Bryan Havell Balkwill was an English orchestral conductor.Balkwill was born in London. He started to learn to play the piano at the age of four and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School. From there he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music...
. It was performed by English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
at the London Coliseum in 1978, and by Opera North
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle...
at the Grand Theatre Leeds
Grand Theatre Leeds
The Grand Theatre is a theatre and Opera house in the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was designed by James Robinson Watson, chief assistant in the office of Leeds-based architect George Corson, and opened on 18 November 1878...
in October 2009.
The stage premiere of the Ur-version of Brouček (without the excursion to the 15th century) took place at the Janáček Theatre
Janáček Theatre
Janáček Theatre is a theatre situated in the city of Brno, Czech Republic. It is a part of the National Theatre in Brno. It was built from 1960 to 1965, and opened in October 1965...
Brno on 19 November 2010 as part of the Janáček Biennale, conducted by Jaroslav Kyzlink, with Jaroslav Březina in the title role.
Roles
| Role - In Prague (1888) | Role – On the Moon | Role - In Prague (1420) | Voice type | Premiere Cast,23 April 1920 (Conductor: - Otakar Ostrčil Otakar Ostrcil Otakar Ostrčil was a Czech composer and conductor. He is noted for symphonic works Impromptu, Suite in C Minor, and Symfonietta, and in his opera compositions Poupě and Honzovo království.-Compositional career:Ostrčil was born in Prague, where he spent his entire life, as it was the center of the... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matěj Brouček, a landlord | Matěj Brouček | Matěj Brouček | Tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Mirko Štork |
| Mazal, a painter | Blankytný, Azurean | Petřík, Pete | Tenor | Miloslav Jeník |
| Sakristán, Sacristan | Lunobor, Lunigrove | Domšík od Zvonu (Domšík from the Bell) |
Bass-Baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
Vilém Zítek |
| Málinka, his daughter | Etherea, lunar goddess | Kunka, his daughter | Soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Ema Miřiovská |
| Würfl, a bartender | Čaroskvoucí, Wonderglitter | Kostka, konšel, councillor | Bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Václav Novák |
| Číšníček, Young waiter at bar | Zázračné dítě, Child prodigy | Žák, Student | Soprano | |
| Fanny, Housekeeper' | Nourishing Minister | Františka / Kedruta | Mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
|
| Skladatel, Composer | Harfoboj, Harper | Miroslav, zlatník , the goldsmith | Tenor | |
| Básník, Poet | Oblačný, Cloudy | Vacek Bradatý (Vacek the Bearded) |
Baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Guests at “Vikárka” | Delegates of the Moon | Armed Citizens | Chorus Choir A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus... |
|
| Spectators | Moonwomen | People, Children | Chorus |
Scene 1
Mr. Matěj Brouček is a rather unkempt drunken landlord in late 19th-century Prague. On a moonlit night in 1888, Mr. Brouček stumbles down Vikárka street after a drinking binge at the Hradčany tavern. In his impaired state, he encounters Málinka. She is upset and dramatically suicidal after discovering that her lover, Mazál (who happens to be one of Brouček’s tenants) has been cheating on her. In an ill-advised attempt to calm Málinka, Brouček agrees to marry her. He quickly realizes the error in this and retracts his offer, leaving Málinka to return to her bohemian lover. Brouček decides he has had enough of this stress, and dreams of a more relaxed life on the moon.Scene 2
Brouček is quickly disillusioned by what he finds in his lunar paradise. He “lands” in the middle of an avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
colony of lunar artists and intellectuals, whom the uncultured Brouček clearly despises. He finds himself in the home of an avant-garde artist, Blankytny (a parallel character to Mazál). Blankytny sings a heartfelt ode
Ode
Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
of platonic love to the lunar maiden, Etherea. This signals the arrival of Etherea and her ‘sisters’ who commence with a song preaching the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Ironically, Brouček catches the eye of the maiden, who becomes instantly infatuated with the exotic stranger. She whisks him away aboard mythical Pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
, leaving behind Blankytny in disbelief and despair.
Scene 3
Etherea and Brouček land in the Lunar Temple of the Arts, where a group of inhabitants have gathered. They are immediately startled and frightened at the sight of Brouček, but soon see him as the latest vogue. The locals proceed to present Brouček with the latest in lunar art and treat him to a “meal” of sniffing flowers. Brouček is not at all pleased with this display of art, nor is he nourished by the fragrances. He is soon caught sneaking a bite of pork sausage; the crowd quickly turns on him; and he is forced into a furious escape aboard Pegasus. As he flees, the lunar artists sing praises to art.Scene 4
As the moon scene transforms back into the tavern courtyard in Prague, Mazál and Málinka are returning home, and the artists are enjoying a final drink. A young waiter laughs at the drunken Brouček who is being carried off in a barrel. Málinka is apparently recovered from her turmoil, as she and Mazál sing a duet of their love for each other.Scene 1
Set in the Castle of Wenceslas IVWenceslaus, King of the Romans
Wenceslaus ) was, by election, German King from 1376 and, by inheritance, King of Bohemia from 1378. He was the third Bohemian and second German monarch of the Luxembourg dynasty...
, Mr. Brouček and his fellow drinkers debate the particulars of the medieval tunnels that were believed to exist beneath the city of Prague. Once again, an inebriated Brouček staggers toward his home and is interrupted. He finds himself somehow in one of these dark tunnels, where he encounters apparitions from the past. One of these ghostly figures is Svatopluk Čech, the author of the Brouček stories and a famous Czech poet. Čech expresses his regret over the decline of moral values in the Czech nation. He sings about the loss of true heroes and yearns for a rebirth of his nation. Ironically, Čech’s lament is directed toward Brouček himself and toward the satirical nature of this very opera.
Scene 2
Mr. Brouček is transported back in time and finds himself in the Old Town SquareOld Town Square (Prague)
Old Town Square is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague in the Czech Republic at .Located between Wenceslas Square and the Charles Bridge, Prague's Old Town Square is often bursting at the seams with tourists in the summer. Featuring various architectural styles including the...
in 1420. This is a tumultuous period in 15th-century Prague, when the Czech people, led by Jan Hus
Jan Hus
Jan Hus , often referred to in English as John Hus or John Huss, was a Czech priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague...
, were under siege by the German armies of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. Brouček is quickly confronted by Hussite rebels, who accuse him of being a German spy, due to his poor Czech grammar laden with German expressions. Brouček somehow convinces the rebels that he is on their side and is allowed to join them.
Scene 3
Brouček is brought to the house of Domšik, a sacristan, and his daughter Kunka. Brouček now finds himself in the midst of an impending battle for the future of the Czech nation, signified by the powerful singing of battle hymns by the gathered masses. The rebels ask Brouček to assist in the defense of Prague, to which he is characteristically averse. As the battle begins, our hero flees the scene.Scene 4
In Old Town Square, the people of Prague celebrate their hard fought victory, but lament the death of Domšik. Brouček is found in hiding and accused of treason. He is appropriately sentenced to death by burning…in a beer barrel.Scene 5
Back in 1888 Prague, just outside the Vikárka Inn (Home of the Hradčany Tavern), Mr. Würfl, the landlord of the Inn and the maker of the infamous pork sausage from the moon, hears moans coming from the cellar. He discovers Mr. Brouček in a beer barrel, visibly relieved to be alive and back home. Our shameless hero boasts to Würfl that he single-handedly liberated the city of PragueOrchestra instrumentation
- 4 FluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s (4 piccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
; same players) - 2 OboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s - English Horn
- 2 ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s (Bb) - Bass ClarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
- 2 BassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s - ContrabassoonContrabassoonThe contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon or double-bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower...
- 4 HornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s in F - 4 TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s in F - 3 TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s - TubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
- ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
I, II - ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Double BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- TimpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
- CelestaCelestaThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
- BellsGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
- Dudelsack (German Bagpipe)
- OrganPipe organThe pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
- HarpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
Compositional aspects and techniques
Janáček’s technique of compositionMusical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
in Brouček may not be clearly or easily defined, but there are several aspects that come to the forefront as one begins to look deeper into some of the composer’s compositional ideas, regarding both music and speech/language.
Motif, motive, and melos
The smallest building block of Janáček’s later music, including this opera, is the motif. His definition is different from, and probably stricter than, what most music scholars might consider as a definition of a motif. Janáček’s motifs have a clear beginning and end, and the dynamicDynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
is constant throughout the short group of, perhaps, three to five note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
s. The note values must be equal, and a motif may begin on any beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
, but may not end on a downbeat. Janáček’s methods of alteration of a motif are varied, but no matter what he does to the melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, the harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
, tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
, mode
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
, register
Register (music)
In music, a register is the relative "height" or range of a note, set of pitches or pitch classes, melody, part, instrument or group of instruments...
, or any of the contextual material, the rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
remains unaltered, thereby, in his opinion, maintaining the original motif as a recognizable entity. Example 1 (see Musical examples below) shows a motif from Brouček and illustrates some alterations of the same motif. Example 2 is another motif used in the opera. Janáček often employs short musical phrases
Phrase (music)
In music and music theory, phrase and phrasing are concepts and practices related to grouping consecutive melodic notes, both in their composition and performance...
that extend beyond his unique definition of a motif, creating what Cooper calls a motive.
A motive includes different note values, and its iterations may end on a downbeat. It turns out that most of Janáček’s small operatic elements, whether instrumental, vocal, or both, are motives. An example of a motive in Brouček is the use of high violins and flutes punctuating a pedal point
Pedal point
In tonal music, a pedal point is a sustained tone, typically in the bass, during which at least one foreign, i.e., dissonant harmony is sounded in the other parts. A pedal point sometimes functions as a "non-chord tone", placing it in the categories alongside suspensions, retardations, and passing...
a half step apart (Part 1) to indicate the moon up in the heavens where Brouček imagines he can escape from the cares of the world. Although for the most part, motives behave like motifs, and are quite similar in their usage, Janáček would have thought of them separately.
A third and larger building block in Brouček is what Dieter Stroebel calls a melos, which describes a segment of music that is longer and more melodious than those of the motif or motive, such as Example 3.
Speech and language
“The best way of becoming a good opera composer is to study analytically the melodic curves and contours of human speech.” – Janáček
It is well known that Janáček’s music was greatly influenced by the nature and sounds of Czech speech and language. One may begin to clearly recognize this influence as it appears in the relationship between the musical motif and Czech words. For example, when a word in Czech changes tense, it often changes the sound of the vowel in that word, paralleling Janáček’s contour alteration of a short motif. Also, in Czech, the first syllable of a word is stressed, allowing distinction of each word by the beginning sound. The avoidance of ending a motif on the downbeat could be seen as analogous Czech speech avoiding stress on any syllable other than the first. Third, the final syllable of a Czech word is to receive full value without changing the pitch or weakening the sound. This closely relates to Janáček’s idea of maintaining a single dynamic in his motifs. Janáček also had a strong interest in the melody of speech (see quote above): intonation, stress, length, and pitch.
Musical ideas in the opera
The introduction to Part 1 is not unlike many of Janáček’s opera introductionsOverture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
, preludes
Prelude (music)
A prelude is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The prelude can be thought of as a preface. It may stand on its own or introduce another work...
, or overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
s. Made up of several short musical items and motives that will show up later in the opera, the music is propelled by the abrupt juxtaposition of these ideas, which often come in a different order than they will appear throughout the opera proper. There are three melodies of importance in the introduction to Part 1 of Brouček. The first is a light, rhythmically uncertain figure (Example 4) that leads to quickly to the stocky bassoon melody (Example 5), which is a caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
of Brouček. This melody appears many times subsequently and in different forms. The third is the tender melody first introduced by the flute and violins (Example 3), which represents the young lovers Málinka and Mazal. This melody is also altered several times, and there is an allusion to Blankytný (= Mazal) and Etherea (= Málinka) on the moon. All three motives are present in the closing moments of Part 1, an orchestral interlude that brings Brouček back to earth from his dream.
Throughout The Excursion to the Moon, Janáček makes extensive use of waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
es and waltz-like melodies, which were apparently misheard by the Russian composer Dmitri Kabalevsky
Dmitri Kabalevsky
Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky was a Russian composer.He helped to set up the Union of Soviet Composers in Moscow and remained one of its leading figures. He was a prolific composer of piano music and chamber music; many of his piano works have been performed by Vladimir Horowitz. He is probably...
, who considered them “à la Strauss
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
”. However, Janáček’s bright and humorous melodies are very different from those of Strauss, as they tend to be much less elegant and often serve the intent of parody or mockery. It is speculated that Janáček also intended the use of waltzes to denote the class of citizen that Brouček represents – the middle-/upper-class dance pointing to the characteristics of the middle-/upper-class Brouček. Even from the opening of the opera, faint allusions of a waltz can be heard between statements of the light 2/4 melody. The prelude dissolves into the opening scene, which begins with the bickering of Málinka and Mazal set to a waltz. A fantastic example of a waltz as a parody is the Child Prodigy’s singing of the moon anthem, which actually is a spoof of the Czech national song. The “audience” within the opera hears it as a serious patriotic anthem, while the opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
audience perceives it as a parody anthem. Janáček uses the music of a waltz at the end of the first dream to break the tension of the moon population’s threats against Brouček and help resolve the plot. Many other waltzes can be found in the first part of the opera, some more deliberate than others, and Janáček made very purposeful use of each one as a device to aid in communicating unspoken, often satirical content. Though Janáček frequently uses the waltz in an ironic or parodic light, they seem to flow and function entirely within the musical framework of the opera.
Overall, Part 2 of the opera, The Excursion of Mr. Brouček to the Fifteenth Century, is distinctly different in musical style from Part 1. The starkly different nature of the situations of each part and the several years that separated the actual composition of the two parts are likely reasons for this difference. It opens with jarring rhythms and the sounds of warfare. Two main themes are present in this introduction that reappear in different forms all through Part 2 (Examples 6 and 7). Also present in this part of the opera are Hussite chorale
Chorale
A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character....
s and hymns, one of which can be heard building as Brouček and Domšík go into the Týn Church on the Old Town Square. The chorale then culminates in a proud statement in C major.
One of Janáček’s compositional procedures is the significant use of the pitch Ab/G# in the last forty minutes of the opera. The key of Ab minor plays an important role in many of Janáček’s compositions, including operas, string quartets, song cycles, piano miniatures, sonatas and orchestral works, no matter whether it is found in comic, tragic, funny, serious, or ironic passages. He preferred to make use of a single tonal area in scenes of steady emotion, or of a single set of characters on stage. This led to his adoption of often assigning a single pitch area to an entire scene, “by which, remarkably, he generates speedy and substantial change and enormous tension and emotion," according to Cooper. Though the listener may not easily recognize the frequent use of the pitch Ab/G# as it is clouded by different harmonies, the single pitch plays a crucial role in connecting differing ideas throughout Part 2. Example 8 points to an ill-tempered Brouček leaping up to Ab on his main point. Later in Part 2, as Brouček pleads for mercy during his condemnation scene, he explains that he “wasn’t born yet,” and that he is “a son of the future,” both ending on Ab (Example 9).
Critical reception
Due to the brevity of his motifs and the way Janáček made use of them and their derivatives, a listener may have difficulty finding something to grasp in the music. Without some study of the score, the logic of his use of motifs and their developments are not aurally so apparent. For this reason, even the well-informed Dmitri Kabalevsky found little in Brouček of which he could sedulously approve.Some critics have also pointed out that the moon excursion has a basic flaw in the plot: there is no real “hero” to balance out Brouček, who is the “villain” on the moon. Richard Bradshaw
Richard Bradshaw
Richard James Bradshaw, O.Ont was a British opera conductor and the General Director of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto....
, who conducted the professional premiere in the United States, said of Brouček, “The two ‘excursions’ have been described as one flawed masterpiece made up of two operas.”
Recordings
- Orchestra and Chorus of the Prague National TheatreNational Theatre (Prague)The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
; Václav Neumann, conductor, SupraphonSupraphonSupraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
SUA ST 50531/3 (LP issue): 1962. - Richard Novák, Karel Hanuš, Libuše MárováLibuše MárováLibuše Márová is a Czech operatic mezzo-soprano who has been a principal artist at the National Theatre in Prague since 1969...
, Vilém Přibyl, Jaroslav Tománek, Miroslav Švejda, Vladimír Krejčík, Jiří Olejníček, Jaroslav SoučekJaroslav SoučekJaroslav Souček was a Czech operatic baritone who had an active career in his native country from 1960 through 1997. He sang a broad repertoire that encompassed roles from Czech, English, French, German, Italian, and Russian operas from a variety of musical periods...
, Jana JonášováJana JonášováJana Jonášová is a Czech opera singer. One of the most important Czech coloratura sopranos of her generation, she has had an active international career at the world's major opera houses and concert stages for roughly four decades. As an opera singer she performed a varied repertoire from a...
, Jiřina Marková, Bohuslav Maršík; Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus; František Jílek, conductor; Supraphon 1116 3291-3: 1980. - Fritz Wunderlich, Kurt Böhme, Wilma Lipp, Kieth Engen, Antonie Fahberg, Lilian Benningsen, Paul Kuen, Karl Ostertag, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Joseph Keilberth, conductor; Orfeo-C354942I (German): 1994.
- Jan Vacík, Peter Straka, Roman Janál, Maria Haan, Zdeněk Plech, BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Jiří Bělohlávek, conductor; Deutsche Grammophon 477 7387: 2008.
External links
- Gavin Plumley's Leoš Janáček site, information on The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon and to the 15th Century
- Leoš Janácek biography and works on the UE website (publisher)
- BBC Symphony Orchestra page on the opera