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The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon and the 15th Century (Czech:: Výlety pánĕ Broučkovy) is the complete title of Leoš Janáček’s fifth opera, based on two Svatopluk Čech novels, Pravy vylet pana Broučhka do mesice (1888) ('The True Excursion of Mr. Brouček to the Moon') and Novy epochalni vylet pana Brouchka (1889) (‘The Epoch-making Excursion of Mr. Brouček, this time to the 15th Century’). This two-part satirical opera was premiered at the National Theatre in Prague on April 23, 1920, the only Janáček opera not premiered in Brno. The opera did not receive its first American performance until its premiere at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. in 1996. Mr. Brouček (translated as “Mr. Beetle”) is a Philistine landlord in Prague who experiences a series of fantastic events as he is swept away (due in large part to excessive drinking) first to the Moon and then to 15th-century Prague, during the Hussite uprising against the German Armies in 1420 (see Synopsis). In both excursions, Brouček encounters characters who are transformed versions of his earthly acquaintances.

Due to the popularity of the original novels by the iconic Czech writer, Svatopluk Čech, the opera was met with much scrutiny. Janáček experienced a number of setbacks in the creation and rehearsal of the work, especially in dealing with librettists (See Background).

The composer’s aim in The Excursions of Mr. Brouček was apparently quite specific: “I want us to be disgusted with such people, to stamp on them and strangle them when we meet them,” speaking of Brouček. Janáček’s campaign, along with Čech’s, was against the pettiness of the bourgeoisie, specifically of Czechoslovakia. However, according to Desmond Shawe-Taylor, who saw the opera performed in Czechoslovakia, most observers reacted with cheerful laughter and even felt a bit sorry for the poor fellow Brouček. He became almost lovable rather than despised, as Janáček had originally intended, and his shortcomings, failings, and ordinariness tend to be seen as qualities common to regular citizens of all lands.

Synopsis

Part 1: The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon

Scene 1

Mr. Matěj Brouček is a rather unkempt drunken landlord in late 19th-century Prague. On a moonlit night in 1888, Mr. Brouček stumbles down Vikárka street after a drinking binge at the Hradčany tavern. In his impaired state, he encounters Málinka. She is upset and dramatically suicidal after discovering that her lover, Mazál (who happens to be one of Brouček’s tenants) has been cheating on her. In an ill-advised attempt to calm Málinka, Brouček agrees to marry her. He quickly realizes the error in this and retracts his offer, leaving Málinka to return to her bohemian lover. Brouček decides he has had enough of this stress, and dreams of a more relaxed life on the moon.

Scene 2

Brouček is quickly disillusioned by what he finds in his lunar paradise. He “lands” in the middle of an avant-garde colony of lunar artists and intellectuals, whom the uncultured Brouček clearly despises. He finds himself in the home of an avant-garde artist, Blankytny (a parallel character to Mazál). Blankytny sings a heartfelt ode of platonic love to the lunar maiden, Etherea. This signals the arrival of Etherea and her ‘sisters’ who commence with a song preaching the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Ironically, Brouček catches the eye of the maiden, who becomes instantly infatuated with the exotic stranger. She whisks him away aboard mythical Pegasus, leaving behind Blankytny in disbelief and despair.

Scene 3

Etherea and Brouček land in the Lunar Temple of the Arts, where a group of inhabitants have gathered. They are immediately startled and frightened at the sight of Brouček, but soon see him as the latest vogue. The locals proceed to present Brouček with the latest in lunar art and treat him to a “meal” of sniffing flowers. Brouček is not all pleased with this display of art, not is he nourished by the fragrances. He is soon caught sneaking a bite of pork sausage; the crowd quickly turns on him; and he is forced into a furious escape aboard Pegasus. As he flees, the lunar artists sing praises to art.

Scene 4

As the moon scene transforms back into the tavern courtyard in Prague, Mazál and Málinka are returning home, and the artists are enjoying a final drink. A young waiter laughs at the drunken Brouček who is being carried off in barrel. Málinka is apparently recovered from her turmoil, as she and Mazál sing a duet of their love for each other.

Part 2: The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the 15th Century

Scene 1

Set in the Castle of Wenceslas IV, Mr. Brouček and his fellow drinkers debate the particulars of the medieval tunnels that were believed to exist beneath the city of Prague. Once again, an inebriated Brouček staggers toward his home and is interrupted. He finds himself somehow in one of these dark tunnels, where he encounters apparitions from the past. One of these ghostly figures is Svatopluk Čech, the author of the Brouček stories and a famous Czech poet. Čech expresses his regret over the decline of moral values in the Czech nation. He sings about the loss of true heroes and yearns for a rebirth of his nation. Ironically, Čech’s lament is directed toward Brouček himself and toward the satirical nature of this very opera.

Scene 2

Mr. Brouček is transported back in time and finds himself in the Old Town Square in 1420. This is a tumultuous period in the 15th-century Prague, when the Czech people, led by Jan Hus, were under siege by the German armies of the Holy Roman Empire. Brouček is quickly confronted by Hussite rebels, who accuse him of being a German spy, due to his poor Czech grammar laden with German expressions. Brouček somehow convinces the rebels that he is on their side and is allowed to join them.

Scene 3

Brouček is brought to the house of Domšik, a sacristan, and his daughter Kunka. Brouček now finds himself in the midst of an impending battle for the future of the Czech nation, signified by the powerful singing of battle hymns by the gathered masses. The rebels ask Brouček to assist in the defense of Prague, to which he is characteristically averse. As the battle begins, our hero flees the scene.

Scene 4

In Old Town Square, the people of Prague celebrate their hard fought victory, but lament the death of Domšik. Brouček is found in hiding and accused of treason. He is appropriately sentenced to death by burning…in a beer barrel.

Scene 5

Back in 1888 Prague, just outside the Vikárka Inn (Home of the Hradčany Tavern), Mr. Würfl, the landlord of the Inn and the maker of the infamous pork sausage from the moon, hears moans coming from the cellar. He discovers Mr. Brouček in a beer barrel, visibly relieved to be alive and back home. Our shameless hero boasts to Würfl that he single-handedly liberated the city of Prague!

Roles

In Prague (1920)	On the moon	In Prague (1420)	Voice Type
Mathias Brouček	Mathias Brouček	Mathias Brouček	Tenor
Mazál, a technician	Blankytny	Domšik	Tenor
Der Sakristan	Lukristan	Glöcker of Teinkirche	Bass-Baritone
Málinka, his daughter	Etherea, lunar goddess	Kunka, his daughter	Soprano
Würfl, Bartender	President Würflun	Kostka, Councilman	Bass
Young Helper at Bar	The Minister of Culture	A Scholar	Soprano
Fanny, Housekeeper	Nourishing Minister	Františka	Mezzo
Conductor	Transportation Minister	Miroslav, Gate Guard	Tenor
-	-	Vacek with the Iron Hand	Baritone
Guests at “Vikárka”	Delegates of the Moon	Armed Citizens	Chorus
Spectators	Moonwomen	People, Children	Chorus

Orchestra instrumentation

• 4 Flutes (4 piccolo; same players)
• Streicher (Bavarian Flute)
• 2 Oboes
• English Horn
• 2 Clarinets (Bb)
• Bass Clarinet
• 2 Bassoons
• Contrabassoon
• 4 Horns in F
• 4 Trumpets in F
• 3 Trombones
• Tuba
• Violin I, II
• Viola
• Cello
• Double Bass
• Timpani
• Schlagwerk (Hand percussion instrument)
• Celesta
• Bells
• Dudelsack (German Bagpipe)
• Organ
• Harp

Background

The composition of Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon was a long process complete with no fewer than seven librettists. The original concept of the opera was to be based on a still popular novel series of the same name by Svatopluk Čech (1846-1908). After beginning musical composition, Janáček set out to find a librettist who would fit his interpretation and realization of Čech’s stories.

In the early 20th century, Janáček sought to write an opera based on Čech’s novels, however Čech out rightly denied him the rights to his stories. Janáček eventually put the project on the back burner until Čech’s death in 1908. At this time, Janáček was reminded of his previous desire to set the story and sent letters to Artuš Rektorys, a friend of his in Prague asking him to check into the availability of the rights now that Čech had died. Rektorys responded with news that Čech’s family was hesitant to release the rights, but after hearing from Janáček himself, they agreed to give him sole use of the novels. Shortly after being granted permission to begin composition, another composer by the name of Karel Moor had also written to Rektorys inquiring about Janáček’s Brouček. Moor claimed he was given sole permission to the stories by Čech’s younger brother, Vladimír. This matter was quickly attended to and it was found that Moor did not receive valid permission. This did not stop him from producing the opera; however it had reached the stage in 1910 some ten years before Janáček’s, but with none of the success or longevity.

In March of 1908, Janáček had set out to find a suitable librettist. Rektorys had recommended Karel Mašek as librettist; however Mašek was not overly willing to undertake the assignment, a precursor to future trouble with the piece. After many discussions and a warning from Mašek that he was very much preoccupied, Janáček had sent his needs to Mašek with a deadline for Act I’s completion. By July of 1908 it had becoming increasingly clear that Mašek and Janáček had two very different ideas as to the outcome of Brouček. Mašek wrote that Janáček’s ideas were too far off from the original novel, which portrayed Brouček as haughty. Other conflicting views include the addition of two characters not in the original piece, the Young Waiter and Mazal. With the Young Waiter, Mašek conceded, but said this about Mazal:

"…I can’t bring myself to add this part to Čech’s work in addition to Mazal at the Vikàra. Čech’s Mr. Brouček would never have fraternized with Mazal and sat with him in the same pub."

These disagreements paired with Mašek’s over-commitment with other works at the time lead to his self-dismissal from the project in October of the same year. Janáček rebounded quickly from the loss of the librettist and started investigating a replacement.

In November, still 1908, Josef Holý was invited to the project next, yet he refused due to lack of interest in the material and said “If there is not the will or the right mood, it would not turn out well, however I tried, and so I ask you to count me out.” With Holý gone, Janáček turned to Dr. Zikmund Janke, an ear, nose and throat doctor working both in Prague and Luhačovice.

As with Mašek, there was a general disagreement with what Janáček had in mind and what Dr. Janke envisioned. Janáček was very amiable with colleagues and accepted what Janke had given him, including his harsh words. At this point, Janke had written an entire first act and started on the second when Janáček sent him a new outline to follow with new characterizations for ten of the roles. Interestingly, out of all that was written thus far, only two lines of a drinking song survived the final cuts of Janke’s work in the first act. In 1910, Janáček discovered through letters with Artuš Rektorys that Josef Holý, who originally turned down the project, had produced a ballet entitled The Moon. This shows that Holý had more interest than he had previously led on, as the ballet was conceptualized on Čech’s story of Brouček. In April of 1911 Janáček reconnected with Holý asking for help with a song during the moon scene.

The next librettist was introduced to Janáček by Holý to help spread the work load around. František Gellner, a satirical poet, would eventually contribute the most work to the piece that still survives today of all the librettists that worked on the project. They worked together from June 1912 until June 1913, where a stand still took place and Janáček set to work on other projects. Gellner did write an ending to the piece, so why the pause happened is really only known to Janáček, as conceptually the structure was finished with only details remaining. However, the work resumed in November of 1915 when Janáček decided that Brouček was worth finishing and promptly set to work finding the next librettist in line for the job.

The position went to Josef Peška, one of the men who helped secure ''Jenůfa'' in Prague. He joined the long list of many writers with great enthusiasm, accepting the work without reading the previously written libretto or musical score. Once Peška had read all the provided materials he sent a prompt response to Janáček reminding him to observe other peoples renditions of the same piece. Most importantly he tells Janáček a piece of information that will come back as critics review the opera after it reaches the stage, and that is that you need to know Čech’s story in ordered to understand the humor in Janáček and Gellner’s version. He wrote a very private version you could say, where you must have preexisting knowledge of the storyline to fully appreciate the piece. In addition he sent him a list of new librettists who could help complete the project, and atop the list was F.S. Procházka.

It is unclear whether Janáček had sent Gellner’s ending to the opera to Procházka because he created one of his own, starting with Act III until the end. This is a good place to note that Janáček gave his librettist complete freedom in range when it came to writing. He would provide an action then say state his indifference of how the action is accomplished, only that it needed to be. When something did not work for him, he would simply rewrite it himself. With this practice, Janáček wrote a larger piece of the work than most of the librettists did.

The piece was finished in 1916 with only details remaining, including the ending written by Gellner, and then adjusted by Janáček. A friend of Janáček, Jiří Mahen, was then enlisted to help overhaul sections of the opera. This position was used for editing purposes, but mostly the work that Janáček had provided, not necessarily the work of the other librettists. Mahen was uninformed as to how many others had worked on the piece, and was also unaware that it was actually completely done and set to music. After spending much time on the opera, Mahen was also surprised to learn that not only had the work been done, but that Viktor Dyk had been penned as the librettist.

Janáček explains this in a letter to Mahen (naturally, he demanded satisfaction) saying that Dyk had approved of the original version Janáček had in mind, that so many others tried to change and had then supplied a more appropriate ending that fits more to Čech’s ending of the story. Dyk and Janáček had worked diligently changing around music, text, scenes, characters etc. to their liking, keeping only bits and pieces of what others had done. Mašek’s work was dwindled down to two lines of work and Dr. Janke’s work and been reduced to a drinking song. The rest was removed in letters between Dyk and Janáček from Brno to Prague and vice versa.

Unfortunately, Viktor Dyk was arrested for resistance activities against the Austro-Hungarian Empire; so again, Janáček is need of a new partner. Instead of finding a stranger to the piece, he goes back to F.S. Procházka. He asks his help in fine-tuning a few songs and scene changes, which he gladly accepts. Up until this point the opera ended when Mr. Brouček returns from his “moon voyage” only to find out that it was a drunken dream, but after reteaming with Procházka, Janáček poses the idea to start dramatizing the second Čech novel, The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the XV Century. The two quickly leapt on this idea and began writing at once. By the end of 1918, they had compressed the entire opera into three acts, Act I in Prague in 1920, Act II on the moon and Act III in Prague in 1420. They even added a new set of characters that stayed with the opera’s theme of recurring characters through this new third act (see list of characters for details).

In October 1918 Janáček had learned that his Brouček would be performed at the National Theatre in Prague, given some adjustments be made to costumes and set pieces. With the new trimmed down version with three acts, there were fewer scene changes to be made, which pleased Director Schmoranz at the Czech National Theatre. Once discussions were done, casts made and orchestra rehearsed there very few changes still needing to be made (most were range issues of the singers -- Janáček wrote very high tessitura for singers). The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon and to the 15th Century premiered on April 23, 1920 at the Czech National Theatre, music by Leoš Janáček, libretto by F.S. Procházka and Viktor Dyk.

Compositional aspects and techniques

Janáček’s technique of composition in Brouček may not be clearly or easily defined, but there are several aspects that come to the forefront as one begins to look deeper into some of the composer’s compositional ideas, regarding both music and speech/language.

Motif, motive, and melos

The smallest building block of Janáček’s later music, including this opera, is the motif. His definition is different from, and probably stricter than, what most music scholars might consider as a definition of a motif. Janáček’s motifs have a clear beginning and end, and the dynamic is constant throughout the short group of, perhaps, three to five notes. The note values must be equal, and a motif may begin on any beat, but may not end on a downbeat. Janáček’s methods of alteration of a motif are varied, but no matter what he does to the melody, the harmony, key, tempo, mode, register, or any of the contextual material, the rhythm remains unaltered, thereby, in his opinion, maintaining the original motif as a recognizable entity. Example 1 shows a motif from Brouček and illustrates some alterations of the same motif. Example 2 is another motif used in the opera.

Janáček often employs short musical phrases that extend beyond his unique definition of a motif, creating what Cooper calls a motive. A motive includes different note values, and its iterations may end on a downbeat. It turns out that most of Janáček’s small operatic elements, whether instrumental, vocal, or both, are motives. An example of a motive in Brouček is the use of high violins and flutes punctuating a pedal point a half step apart (Part 1) to indicate the moon up in the heavens where Brouček imagines he can escape from the cares of the world. Although for the most part, motives behave like motifs, and are quite similar in their usage, Janáček would have thought of them separately.

A third and larger building block in Brouček is what Dieter Stroebel calls a melos, which describes a segment of music that is longer and more melodious than those of the motif or motive, such as Example 3.

Speech and language

“The best way of becoming a good opera composer is to study analytically the melodic curves and contours of human speech.” – Janáček

It is well known that Janáček’s music was greatly influenced by the nature and sounds of Czech speech and language. One may begin to clearly recognize this influence as it appears in the relationship between the musical motif and Czech words. For example, when a word in Czech changes tense, it often changes the sound of the vowel in that word, paralleling Janáček’s contour alteration of a short motif. Also, in Czech, the first syllable of a word is stressed, allowing distinction of each word by the beginning sound. The avoidance of ending a motif on the downbeat could be seen as analogous Czech speech avoiding stress on any syllable other than the first. Third, the final syllable of a Czech word is to receive full value without changing the pitch or weakening the sound. This closely relates to Janáček’s idea of maintaining a single dynamic in his motifs. Janáček also had a strong interest in the melody of speech (see quote above): intonation, stress, length, and pitch.

Musical ideas on the opera

The introduction to Part 1 is not unlike many of Janáček’s opera introductions, preludes, or overtures. Made up of several short musical items and motives that will show up later in the opera, the music is propelled by the abrupt juxtaposition of these ideas, which often come in a different order than they will appear throughout the opera proper. There are three melodies of importance in the introduction to Part 1 of Brouček. The first is a light, rhythmically uncertain figure (Example 4) that leads to quickly to the stocky bassoon melody (Example 5), which is a caricature of Brouček. This melody appears many times subsequently and in different forms. The third is the tender melody first introduced by the flute and violins (Example 3), which represents the young lovers Málinka and Mazal. This melody is also altered several times, and it is interesting to hear an allusion to it as it refers to Blankytný (= Mazal) and Etherea (= Málinka) on the moon. All three motives are present in the closing moments of Part 1, an orchestral interlude that brings Brouček back to earth from his dream.

Throughout The Excursion to the Moon, Janáček makes extensive use of waltzes and waltz-like melodies, which were apparently misheard by the Russian composer Dmitri Kabalevsky, who considered them “à la Strauss”. However, Janáček’s bright and humorous melodies are very different from those of Strauss, as they tend to be much less elegant and often serve the intent of parody or mockery. It is speculated that Janáček also intended the use of waltzes to denote the class of citizen that Brouček represents – the middle-/upper-class dance pointing to the characteristics of the middle-/upper-class Brouček. Even from the opening of the opera, faint allusions of a waltz can be heard between statements of the light 2/4 melody. The prelude dissolves into the opening scene, which begins with the bickering of Málinka and Mazal set to a waltz. A fantastic example of a waltz as a parody is the Child Prodigy’s singing of the moon anthem, which actually is a spoof of the Czech national song. The “audience” within the opera hears it as a serious patriotic anthem, while the opera house audience perceives it as a parody anthem. Janáček uses the music of a waltz at the end of the first dream to break the tension of the moon population’s threats against Brouček and help resolve the plot. Many other waltzes can be found in the first part of the opera, some more deliberate than others, and Janáček made very purposeful use of each one as a device to aid in communicating unspoken, often satirical content. Though Janáček frequently uses the waltz in an ironic or parodic light, they seem to flow and function entirely within the musical framework of the opera.

Overall, Part 2 of the opera, The Excursion of Mr. Brouček to the Fifteenth Century, is distinctly different in musical style from Part 1. The starkly different nature of the situations of each part and the several years that separated the actual composition of the two parts are likely reasons for this difference. It opens with jarring rhythms and the sounds of warfare. Two main themes are present in this introduction that reappear in different forms all through Part 2 (Examples 6 and 7). Also present in this part of the opera are Hussite chorales and hymns, one of which can be heard building as Brouček and Domšík go into the Týn Church on the Old Town Square. The chorale then culminates in a proud statement in C major.

One of Janáček’s compositional procedures is the significant use of the pitch Ab/G# in the last forty minutes of the opera. It is interesting to note that the key of Ab minor plays an important role in many of Janáček’s compositions, including operas, string quartets, song cycles, piano miniatures, sonatas and orchestral works, no matter whether it is found in comic, tragic, funny, serious, or ironic passages. He preferred to make use of a single tonal area in scenes of steady emotion, or of a single set of characters on stage. This led to his adoption of often assigning a single pitch area to an entire scene, “by which, remarkably, he generates speedy and substantial change and enormous tension and emotion," according to Cooper. Though the listener may not easily recognize the frequent use of the pitch Ab/G# as it is clouded by different harmonies, the single pitch plays a crucial role in connecting differing ideas throughout Part 2. Example 8 points to an ill-tempered Brouček leaping up to Ab on his main point. Later in Part 2, as Brouček pleads for mercy during his condemnation scene, he explains that he “wasn’t born yet,” and that he is “a son of the future,” both ending on Ab (Example 9).

Critical Reception

Due to the brevity of his motifs and the way Janáček made use of them and their derivatives, a listener may have difficulty finding something to grasp in the music. Without some study of the score, the logic of his use of motifs and their developments are not aurally so apparent. For this reason, even the well-informed Dmitri Kabalevsky found little in Brouček of which he could sedulously approve. Some critics have also pointed out that the moon excursion has a basic flaw in the plot: there is no real “hero” to balance out Brouček, who is the “villain” on the moon. Richard Bradshaw, who conducted the professional premiere in the United States, said of Brouček, “The two ‘excursions’ have been described as one flawed masterpiece made up of two operas.”

Selected recordings

• Orchestra and Chorus of the Prague National Theatre; Václav Neumann, conductor, Supraphon SUA ST 50531/3 (LP issue): 1962.

• Richard Novák, Karel Hanuš, Libuše Márová, Vilém Přibyl, Jaroslav Tománek, Miroslav Švejda, Vladimír Krejčík, Jiří Olejníček, Jaroslav Souček, Jana Jonášová, Jiřina Marková, Bohuslav Maršík; Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus; František Jílek, conductor; Supraphon 1116 3291-3: 1980.

• Fritz Wunderlich, Kurt Böhme, Wilma Lipp, Kieth Engen, Antonie Fahberg, Lilian Benningsen, Paul Kuen, Karl Ostertag, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Joseph Keilberth, conductor; Orfeo-C354942I (German): 1994.

• Jan Vacik, Maria Haan, BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Jiří Bělohlávek, conductor Deutsche Grammophone 477 7387: 2007.

Sources

• Beckerman, Michael. “In Search of Czechness in Music.” 19th Century Music, Vol. 10, No. 1. 1986: University of California Press. 61-73.

• Chisolm, Erik. The Operas of Leoš Janáček. Oxford, New York: Pergamon Press, 1971.

• Cooper, Constance. “Janáček’s Techniques of Unification in the Mature Operas.” Ph.D.diss., Princeton University, 2003.

• Hollander, Hans and Theodore Baker. “Leoš Janáček and His Operas.” The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 1. 1929: Oxford University Press. 29-36.

• Horsbrugh, Ian. Leoš Janáček, The Field That Prospered. Newton Abbot: David & Charles; New York, N.Y.: Scribner’s, 1981.

• Shawe-Taylor, Desmond. “The Operas of Leoš Janáček.” Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, 85th Sess. (1958-1959): 49-64.

• Simone, Nigel. The Excursions of Mr. Brouček. CD Liner notes. BBC Symphony Orchestra. Deutche Grammophon, 2007.

• Tyrrell, John. "Excursions of Mr Brouček, The." In The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, edited by Stanley Sadie. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O005006 (accessed March 12, 2009).

• Tyrrell, John. Janáček’s Operas: A Documentary Account. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1992.

• Vogel, Jaroslav. Leoš Janáček, His Life and Works. Translated from Czech by Geraldine Thomsen-Muchová. London: P. Hamlyn, 1962.