Beskrivning
Mährische VolksTänze
Janácek, Leos
Janácek gave great weight to collecting Moravian folk dances. He expected the understanding of them to bring new energy into the nation’s music in the aspects of harmony, tonality and especially form. The collection includes 21 pieces for piano four hands, accompanied by detailed descriptions of the choreography of the separate dances.
The melodies and motions of the Moravian dances were not collected and arranged by Janácek alone. Three important cultivators of Moravian ethnography also took part in the collecting and choreographic activities: Lucie Bakesová, Xaverie Behálková and Martin Zeman.
The publication is printed in the original notation of the first print from 1891 and 1893 (originally divided into 3 separate volumes), with two Lachian dances for piano (Celadenský and Pilky) added extra. It was necessary to expand the descriptions and instructions for the dances, this was accomplished by Maryna Úlehlová-Hradilová.
The musical and musically historical aspects of the dances are elucidated by editor Bohumír Stedron in a detailed Preface (Czech, German).