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Leos Janacek 1854–1928

Leos Janacek, the well-known Czech composer, during August, at Prague. He was born in July, 1854, at Hukvaldy, in Northern Moravia, where his father was the village schoolmaster. His first teacher was the monk-composer Krizkovsky, but the greater part of his musical education was received at the Organist’s School, Prague. On his return to Moravia, he was appointed professor at the Normal School for Teachers at Brno, which post he retained for the greater part of his life. In 1881 he founded at Brno a School of Organists, which in 1918 became the State Conservatory of Music. A prolific composer, Janacek drew most of his material from folk-song. Of his operas the most successful is ‘Jenufa,’ which has been widely performed in Europe, and also at New York.

Musical Times, September 1928