Elegy on the Death of Daughter Olga
Encyclopedia
Elegy on the Death of Daughter Olga, JW 4/30 (also translated as the Elegy on the Death of My Daughter Olga; in Czech
: Elegie na smrt dcery Olgy) is a cantata
for tenor
solo, mixed choir and pianoforte, written by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček
in 1903. It was written to commemorate the death of composer's daughter, Olga Janáčková. Janáček composed the piece to the text of the Russian teacher Marfa Nikolayevna Veveritsa.
. From her childhood, she showed remarkable talent in various arts, though
not in music (to the mild disappointment of her father). Her mother later recalled that "[Olga] grew up into a lovely girl. Her skin was delicate and smooth with a peach-bloom to it; like her father, she had a dimple in her chin." Sadly, her health was poor from an early age, and her physical state brought a lot of anxiety to her parents. At the age of six, she fell ill with inflammation of joints. She recovered, however, the illness negatively affected the functioning of the heart. The situation worsened after her younger brother Vladimír died in November, 1890. Olga remained the only child of her parents, and also the only bond connecting the members of the family.
Leoš Janáček and his daughter, both keen admirers and supporters of Russian culture, were members of the Russian Circle in Brno. In March, 1902, the composer accompanied Olga to Saint Petersburg
, in order to deepen her knowledge of Russian language and to let her become familiar with Russian life and society. His brother František worked there as a teacher. A month later, Olga fell ill with typhoid fever
. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she was forced to return to Brno in July of the same year. After her return, she spent some time in Hukvaldy
in order to recuperate; however, her illness reappeared with new and worse complications. After months of suffering, Olga Janáčková died on 26 February 1903.
Her parents were completely desolated. Janáček, raving with pain and despair, tore at his hair and cried: "My soul, my soul!". Zdenka later remembered their loneliness and despair in her memories: "We stayed in our dining room alone. Abandoned, silent. I looked at Leoš. He sat in front of me, destroyed, thin, grey-haired."
Janáček dedicated two of his works to his daughter. He inscribed the first published piano reduction of the opera Jenůfa
, his first masterwork and the composition which later opened him the way to the world opera stages, "To the memory of Olga Janáčková".
The second work, the Elegy, was inspired by their common love of Russian culture. It was composed to original Russian verses written by Marfa Veveritsa, a member of the Russian Circle and a friend of Olga. The composition was completed on 28 April, 1903, however, Janáček later (in March, 1904) altered some parts of it. The Elegy was apparently composed directly to the Russian original, and it was translated later by B. Zavadil. It was premiered after Janáček's death, on 20 December, 1930, in the Brno Radio. The manuscript of the composition was not preserved. The duration of the work is approximately 6 minutes.
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...
: Elegie na smrt dcery Olgy) is a cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
for 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...
solo, mixed choir and pianoforte, written by the Czech composer 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...
in 1903. It was written to commemorate the death of composer's daughter, Olga Janáčková. Janáček composed the piece to the text of the Russian teacher Marfa Nikolayevna Veveritsa.
Background
Olga was the first-born child of Leoš and Zdenka Janáček. She was born on 15 August 1882 in BrnoBrno
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...
. From her childhood, she showed remarkable talent in various arts, though
not in music (to the mild disappointment of her father). Her mother later recalled that "[Olga] grew up into a lovely girl. Her skin was delicate and smooth with a peach-bloom to it; like her father, she had a dimple in her chin." Sadly, her health was poor from an early age, and her physical state brought a lot of anxiety to her parents. At the age of six, she fell ill with inflammation of joints. She recovered, however, the illness negatively affected the functioning of the heart. The situation worsened after her younger brother Vladimír died in November, 1890. Olga remained the only child of her parents, and also the only bond connecting the members of the family.
Leoš Janáček and his daughter, both keen admirers and supporters of Russian culture, were members of the Russian Circle in Brno. In March, 1902, the composer accompanied Olga to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, in order to deepen her knowledge of Russian language and to let her become familiar with Russian life and society. His brother František worked there as a teacher. A month later, Olga fell ill with typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she was forced to return to Brno in July of the same year. After her return, she spent some time in Hukvaldy
Hukvaldy
Hukvaldy is a village in the Czech Republic, in the Moravian-Silesian Region. Population: 1,900. It lies 150m below the ruins of the third largest castle in the Czech Republic, Hukvaldy Castle , and is the birthplace of the composer Leoš Janáček and palaeontologist Ferdinand Stoliczka.The castle...
in order to recuperate; however, her illness reappeared with new and worse complications. After months of suffering, Olga Janáčková died on 26 February 1903.
Her parents were completely desolated. Janáček, raving with pain and despair, tore at his hair and cried: "My soul, my soul!". Zdenka later remembered their loneliness and despair in her memories: "We stayed in our dining room alone. Abandoned, silent. I looked at Leoš. He sat in front of me, destroyed, thin, grey-haired."
Janáček dedicated two of his works to his daughter. He inscribed the first published piano reduction of the opera 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...
, his first masterwork and the composition which later opened him the way to the world opera stages, "To the memory of Olga Janáčková".
The second work, the Elegy, was inspired by their common love of Russian culture. It was composed to original Russian verses written by Marfa Veveritsa, a member of the Russian Circle and a friend of Olga. The composition was completed on 28 April, 1903, however, Janáček later (in March, 1904) altered some parts of it. The Elegy was apparently composed directly to the Russian original, and it was translated later by B. Zavadil. It was premiered after Janáček's death, on 20 December, 1930, in the Brno Radio. The manuscript of the composition was not preserved. The duration of the work is approximately 6 minutes.
Recordings
- Janáček, Leoš: Věčné evangelium [The Eternal Gospel] [CD]. 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 :...
SU-3314-2211.