Jenufa

Janáček developed a compositional method based on 'nápěvky mluvy' (speech-melodies), in which he transcribed the natural pitch contours and rhythms of spoken Czech and wove them directly into his vocal lines. This gives Jenůfa its intensely realistic, conversational quality that was revolutionary compared to the more lyrical style of Smetana or Dvořák.

Jenůfa's stepmother, the Kostelnička (village sextoness) Buryjovka, drowns Jenůfa's illegitimate infant in a frozen river to protect Jenůfa's reputation and secure her marriage to the wealthy Števa. The murder is discovered in the final act when the baby's body is found as the ice thaws, leading to the Kostelnička's public confession and arrest.

Jenůfa premiered on January 21, 1904, at the National Theatre in Brno, where Janáček was based. It took several more years to reach Prague, and it was only after a 1916 Vienna production conducted by Gustav Mahler's associates that the opera gained international recognition.

Jenůfa is sung in Czech, like all of Janáček's operas, and the specific rhythms and inflections of the Czech language are inseparable from the musical setting. Most major international houses perform it in Czech with projected surtitles, as the speech-melody technique would be compromised by translation.