�AV

Born in Hukvaldy, Moravia (part of 20th century Czechoslovakia) in 1854, Leoš Janáček is considered the greatest Czech composer of the early 20th century.

He was the son of a schoolmaster and, as a boy, sang in the choir of the monastery in Brno. He later went to Prague to study music and made a living there teaching music. In 1881, he moved back to Brno and founded the Organ School, which would become the Brno Conservatory.

He began composing in a relatively traditional romantic style; but after his opera Sárka (1881), his style began to change. He made a study of Moravian folk music and used elements of it in his own music. His opera �����ů�ڲ� (1904) had very distinctive vocal melodies which closely followed the rhythm and pitch of normal Czech speech. This became a distinguishing feature of his vocal writing.

When �����ů�ڲ� was performed in Prague in 1916, it was a great success and brought Janáček real acclaim for the first time. He was 62 at the time and began to compose the pieces for which he is now best known. The operas Katya Kabanova (1921), The Cunning Little Vixen (1924), The Makropulos Affair (1926), and From the House of the Dead (premiered posthumously in 1930) are regarded by many as his finest works.

Other well known pieces by Janáček include the Sinfonietta (1926), the Glagolitic Mass (1927) (with words from a text in the Glagolitic alphabet), and his two string quartets. He died in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, in 1928.

Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning

Eric Friedman 
Director, Digital Learning

Kenny Neal 
Manager, Digital Education Resources

Tiffany A. Bryant 
Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement

JoDee Scissors 
Content Specialist, Digital Learning

Connect with us!

Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..

The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.