The Opening of the Wells


The Opening of the Wells, H. 354 is a chamber cantata by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů.
It was composed in June and July 1955 in Nice, France to the text of the Czech poet Miroslav Bureš. It was written for female chorus, soprano, alto and baritone solos, reciter, two violins, viola and piano. The composition was dedicated to "Miroslav Bureš and our Moravian Highlands". The composition is a part of the four-part cycle of cantatas ; all are connected with the Moravian Highlands, Martinů's native region.
The cantata relates to the customs around welcoming spring, and the cleansing of springs of detritus at the end of winter. The baritone sings as a pilgrim returning to his native land.

Recordings

The Opening of the Springs, edited by Vít Zouhar, was published by Bärenreiter in the Bohuslav Martinů Complete Edition volume "Cantatas on Texts by Miloslav Bureš" in 2016.