Revealing Janacek: On an Overgrown Path--Series I

Abstract

This document challenges the marginal and neglected status of Leos Janacek, Czech composer of the late Romantic to early twentieth-century era, through an analysis of compositional techniques in the solo piano cycle On an Overgrown Path--Series I. By examining Janacek's musical background, specifically: (1) musical studies and early influences, (2) the influence of Herbartian philosophy on his musical theoretics, and (3) the influence of his ethnographic studies on his musical theoretics, I will provide important context in understanding the development of his innovative and distinctive compositional style. As a composer and theorist, Janacek sought a purer and more modern means of expression than that of his contemporaries with the artistic aim of relating all compositional elements to real human emotion and psychological phenomena. On an Overgrown Path is one of his first of his works to reflect this cultivated technique. Each piece in the cycle's first series will be explored by analyzing the features that can be linked to his philosophical and cultural influences and by discussing the resulting emotional affects. Through this study, a clear connection between Janacek's influences, progressive compositional techniques, and masterful expression of the human condition in On an Overgrown Path will be made, challenging his current minor rank in music history.