How It's Done: Janáček (In General)

What an inspiring talk! Janáček makes some of the weirdest but, at the same time, most effective decisions I ever encountered. One of his features is to write very high and very low parts leaving out the middle, and then suddenly filling in. In fact, he works in layers: background and foreground, and sometimes the background becomes the foreground and vice versa. (This work in layers sometimes reminds me on - attention, ye horses - Bruckner.) Concerning the "Sinfonietta": There is not a single tutti in the whole work, not even in the finale: I don't speak about the harp, which would be inaudible, but about the bassoons. Every other composer would have added bassoons to reinforce the celli and doublebasses, but Janáček knows that then, the bassoons would mingle with the trombones and weaken their sharp edges. So he leaves them out. In fact, he uses them just in the 2nd and for a few bars in the 4th movement. He was unique, in fact, one of the greatest of all times!

This is so good! As someone who is not super knowledgable about classical music but very curious i very much appreciate these videos where go walk us through composers and their techniques. It really helps!

Janacek is truly unique. His music really touches me in a way no other composer’s can. Sometimes almost too much. A very good discussion!

Yeah, Leoš Janáček is our the most extraordinary composer. Maybe the power of unfilled love made him younger when he was old. His music smells just like the czech countryside. Thank you for approximating and tribute to Janáček. Greetings from the Czech Republic! 😉

Thanks, David, for another awesome video. I discovered Janáček when I was at college and stumbled upon Kubelik's Missa Glagolitica. I was captivated by the feeling of existential vertigo that his music transmits and has been among my favourites ever since. Glad to see his unique sound included in this series.

I guess Janacek is fairly niche. Not attracting the thousands of 'likes' here. Mr Hurwitz, you serve him well, doing a fine video in promotion of this composer of punchy energy and deep empathy. I don't understand why Janacek is so little known. I think it's partly because many people are afraid of the power of their own emotions. I am extremely fortunate in having a longstanding friend and musical colleague from Czechia (in older times - Bohemia), who also loves and needs Janacek's music. He introduced me to the delights of Czech folk music (Moravian also - from Slovakia), and introduced me to his country on two fine tours. I bought Janacek's piano music for him (played by Rudolf FIrkusny). Bohemian and Moravian music, and musicians, have had a huge influence on classical music from the 20th century onwards, and also on US Broadway musicals, and film music. I am deeply in love with the whole of Czech culture, its history, and its people. Janacek is a late-flowering musical genius, and his music, particularly the operas, are too little known. Many thanks for this video, Mr Hurwitz.

Greetings from Janáček Conservatory in Brno! I played "Z mrtveho domu" few days ago🙂. Janáček's sound is really uniqe🙂👍

I really love Janacek, so I'm so glad for this video. The most unexpected and personal composer I can remember. Poor him but thanks God Kamila never accepted his love (or so they say) and his sadness made him create that amazing final bunch of masterpieces.

So good to know — and see! — how Janáček's unmistakable and remarkable sound world is created. My own suggestion for this wonderful series: The climax of Malcolm Arnold's Tam O' Shanter Overture, where he makes the entire orchestra sound like bagpipes (around the five minute mark in the Alexander Gibson recording).

I discovered Janáček going to the opera (Makropulos with Anja Silja!), and since then it's one my favourite composers, because he's a truly original. Wozzeck and Lulu (which I love) have the reputation to be the difficult, radical operas from that time, but if you hear closely, every single moment comes from the Beethoven/Weber/Wagner/Mahler tradition. But the Makropulos prelude? That ostinato? The weird rythm? The offstage brass? Everything sounds like it's coming from a different planet, even if it's tonal and therefore "easier".

Very enjoyable & interesting. Thanks.

Thank you for this video, David. It has peaked my interest to hear more from this incredible composer.

I never thought I would hear you mention noun cases here

I happened to live only about 15 miles from Hukvaldy. I would illustrate the synthetic character of the Czech word formation with this great word: nejneobhospodařovávatelnějšími: (with) the most non-cultivable (plural); all grammatical cathegories are there expressed just by affixes.

Thanks for another fascinating video. I’ve owned a copy of The cunning little Vixen for many years but it’s only since watching your videos that I’ve come to appreciate his music much more.

Amazing. Just amazing!

Thank you for breaking down this exciting, idiosyncratic composer. And Mazel Tov on hitting 12,000 subscribers! Sadly, I fear this means I must make good on my promise/threat to spend all day listening to Shostakovich’s 12th Symphony. That’s an awful lot of Dawn…hope I have enough dish soap around the house.

Thank you, David Hurwitz! I've learned quite a lot!

My first encounter with the Sinfonetta was the Szell/Cleveland recording on Columbia. Still it was interesting enough to seek better renditions which I have now.

Very interesting talk. Thank you and thank someone who suggested Janacek to you. Background harmonic cord, melody and ostinato. I see.