Leoš Janáček (1854–1928) was a Czech composer, musicologist, and folklorist, one of the most original creators of 20th-century music. Drawing on Moravian folklore, he developed an entirely distinctive musical language.
Janáček closely studied the intonations of living human speech and worked out a theory of “speech melodies” — short melodic formulas that reproduce the rhythm and melody of conversation. On this basis are built his uniquely expressive operas — “Jenůfa,” “The Cunning Little Vixen,” “Káťa Kabanová.” Among his other famous works are the spirited “Sinfonietta” and the “Glagolitic Mass.” Recognition came to him rather late, but the last two decades of his life became a period of tremendous creative flowering. Janáček is a pride of Czech national music alongside Smetana and Dvořák.
