The abbey in old Brno where Gregor Johann Mendel worked until his death hides several beautiful areas behind its walls. One of them is the Paradise Court, which is entered through an inconspicuous entrance next to the Basilica of the Assumption. On Thursday 16 June, the stone walls of this ancient space hosted the opening concert of the Brno and its churches project.
The Horňácko music of Petr Mička played there and opened the event in a unique way.
The repertoire chosen by the music for this occasion consisted not only of folk songs from the home region of Horňácko and neighboring Myjava in Slovakia. The worldly joys in their performance, just like in real life, were interspersed with moments of spiritual contemplation. This region is also known for its religious diversity, so spiritual songs of several denominations were featured.
The song “Poslyš dcerko žalostivá”, included in Elsner’s Canon, stood out in particular. Its melody can’t be found in any hymnal, however, it’s preserved only in oral form. In fact, the church in Javorník in Horňácko is the last place where this evangelical hymnal from the anti-Reformation times is still in active use. The native Anna Kománková also had this song in her repertoire, and composer Vítězslav Novák even included the melody of the song in his Slovácko Suite.
But there were more songs with spiritual themes. The wedding song “Mesiáš” about the transformation of water into wine in Cana of Galilee, funeral chants from Hrubá Vrbka, and the song “Utrpení Krista”. All of them sounded magical in the arcade of the garden and entranced the listeners (even those who had come to the wine feast, which was held simultaneously).
From the purely secular songs, the song “Podívaj sa milá” was also sung after the opening words of the director of the Museum of the Old Brno Abbey, Miriam Kolářová. She recorded it several years ago with the recently deceased singer, musician, collector of folk songs, and incidentally also her grandfather, Jaroslav Smutný. I had heard it performed live by Mr. Smutný several times and I must say that I was really moved by its inclusion, the first time without his eccentric performance.
Some of the songs we heard during the evening were collected by the Horňácko singer and ethnomusicologist Dušan Holý. He often wrote down the unique recordings by hand and later recorded them on a tape recorder. During the final meeting, the musicians played for him at least over the phone in a way that was both fitting and joyful.
For this program, Petr Mička’s selection of music included my favorite songs from their repertoire, and I must say that I left with a blissful feeling. The last time I felt like this was at the Horňácko festivities a few years ago after the Leoš Janáček anniversary concert.
Although the atmosphere was very intimate this time, it highlighted the positive energy that accumulated there. Not even the torrential rain that refreshed the air of Mendel Square during the evening washed it away.
In closing, I must mention the event Brno and its temples, which will last until mid-September. During the event, you can visit the churches and temples of Brno which are mostly closed or can only be seen during services. It is a beautiful event that’s truly worth taking advantage of. You may not see Petr Mička’s Horňácko music there anymore, but the experience will certainly be just as intense.
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