Book Description
This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on January 21, 1999. The length of the article is 1592 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Katia Kabanobá: Janácek en Nueva York.(Leos Janácek, músico checo)(TT: Katia Kabanobá: Janácek in New York.)(TA: Leos Janácek, Czech musician)
Author: Mario Saavedra
Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: January 21, 1999
Publisher: Edicional Siempre
Volume: 45Issue: 2379Page: 78(1)

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Product Description
Definitive biography on the composer Janacek and his works. Wel illustrated with photos and detailed explanation on the development of his work with sections of sheet music quoted inthe text. ... Read more

Book Description
One of the most original and engaging composers of the twentieth century, Leos JanNBcek is now regarded as one of its major musical dramatists. His operas have become a regular part of the repertory, but a full understanding of their diverse subjects and backgrounds has been hampered by the lack of source materials in English. John Tyrrell has here selected and translated the chief literary documents relating to the genesis and early performances of each of the composer's nine operas and presented them in the form of a compelling documentary narrative. JanNBcek was a vigorous letter-writer and kept every letter he received. A vast quantity of material on his life has survived, providing a unique insight into his working methods and attitudes toward his operas. Scrupulously translated and annotated, the sources in this volume have not previously been brought together in this way. Some have appeared in scattered and often inaccessible publications in Czech, and others, such as the sequence of daily letters that JanNBcek wrote to his wife during the rehearsals for the Prague premiere of Jenufa, or his instructions to his librettist for Fate, have never been published before. The book is complemented by a chronology of JanNBcek's operas keyed to the numbered documents in each chapter, a bibliography, and a list of sources. Drawing on twenty-five years of work at the JanNBcek archive in Brno, this work is a classic of music documentary scholarship. ... Read more

Book Description
This entire volume is organized in a clear, readable format, resulting in a book that will help to make productions of The Cunning Little Vixen in the original Czech much easier a task than ever before. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An Invaluable Aid!
From Sir Thomas Allen, internationally acclaimed baritone, celebrated interpreter of the role of the Forester in both English and Czech productions:
ÒThe careers of most professional singers are taken up with the literature of the principle European languages, and the literature with which they become involved as part of standard repertoire. However, with the now established popularity of the works of Leos Janacek, the need for a familiarity with the Czech language has taken on a greater significance.
Translations into the vernacular exist, of course. Having sung the role of Forester on several occasions in English, it has always been a matter of great frustration when one tries to match a suitable English text to the intricate rhythms Janacek has written.
Timothy CheekÕs book comes as a work of great diligence, every word of the original Czech libretto analysed and transliterated for the non-Czech speaker. From personal experience I know the great worth and value of Prihody lisky Bystrousky, and this book will be an invaluable aid to anyone approaching the Ôopera as intendedÕ, making it ever more accessible.
It may be argued that the student ought to put horse before cart, and have the basic rudiments, and more, of the language, rather than tackling it phonetically in this way. A point well made, but I would argue the case to be made for more and more of us hearing Janacek: work with the Czech libretto. There is no substitute for that first-hand unsullied experience, in music that contains such vital rhythmic identity.Ó

Wonderful! I can't wait for the next volumes!
From Catherine Malfitano, soprano, international interpreter of Janacek roles:
ÒHere is a most welcome libretto that reveals many treasures for the professional and amateur alike. I love the dual translations, both word for word and idiomatic, right next to the IPA pronunciation guide to these Czech lyrics. This first in a series of Janacek Opera Libretti offers many invaluable nuggets of background information; musical, linguistic, stylistic, and cultural. Keep this volume by your opera score for immediate reference. I look forward to the KATYA and JENUFA Libretti, with eager anticipation. Bravo, Tim Cheek !Ó ... Read more

Book Description
This is the first major set of essays on the Czech composer Leos Janá^Dvcek, widely considered one of the most important composers of the early twentieth century. The essays deal with a range of subjects relating to opera, symphonic poem, instrumental music, cultural context, reception, and Janá^Dvcek as music theorist and analyst. Some topics, such as the sources of his musical expressivity, narrative, and Jan^Dvacek as musical analyst and realist have hitherto received little attention, while other, more conventional topics, such as "speech melody" and Janá^Dvcek's ethnographic activities, are reappraised. ... Read more