Kamila Stösslová - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Kamila Stösslová (1891–1935) holds an unusual place in music history. The composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

Leoš Janáček

Leoš Janácek

Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...

, upon meeting her in 1917 in the resort town of Luhačovice

Luhacovice

Luhačovice is a spa town in the Zlín Region, Moravia, Czech Republic.It occupies a valley, whose elevation is a minimum of 250 m above sea level...

, fell deeply in love with her, despite both their marriages and the fact he was almost forty years older than Kamila. She was a profound influence on the composer in his last decade.

Despite her ambivalence to his feelings for her, Janáček was inspired by her to create the lead characters of three of his opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

s; Katya in Katya Kabanová
Káta Kabanová
Káťa Kabanová is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by Vincenc Červinka, based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. The opera was also largely inspired by Janáček's love for Kamila Stösslová...

, the vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen is an opera by Leoš Janáček, with a libretto adapted by the composer from a serialized novella by Rudolf Těsnohlídek and Stanislav Lolek, which was first published in the newspaper Lidové noviny.-Composition history:When Janáček discovered Těsnohlídek's...

and Emilia Marty in The Makropulos Affair. Other works that were inspired by his passion include The Diary of One Who Disappeared
The Diary of One Who Disappeared
The Diary of One Who Disappeared is a song cycle for tenor, alto, three female voices and piano, written by Czech composer Leoš Janáček.- Background :...

, the Glagolitic Mass
Glagolitic Mass
The Glagolitic Mass is a composition for soloists , double chorus, organ and orchestra by Leoš Janáček. The work was completed on 15 October 1926...

, his Sinfonietta
Sinfonietta (Janácek)
The Sinfonietta is a very expressive and festive, late work for large orchestra by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček...

and the String Quartet No. 2
String Quartet No. 2 (Janácek)
Leoš Janáček's String Quartet No. 2, "Intimate Letters", was written in 1928. It has been referred to as Janáček's "manifesto on love".- Background :...

(subtitled Intimate Letters).

While many of these works reveal a realization that the composer's love for her was unrequited, she was nonetheless the subject of intense correspondence. There are over 700 letters (and the aforementioned string quartet

String quartet

A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...

which was inspired by them) that bear witness to his intense obsession with this young woman. Although she always remained emotionally aloof, she was with him when he died in 1928.

In the award-winning TV film In Search of Janáček
In Search of Janacek
In Search of Janáček is a documentary film about life of composer Leoš Janáček.The film, written and directed by Petr Kaňka, received Special Mention at the International Television Festival Golden Prague in 2003. It was released in 2004 to celebrate 150 years anniversary of Janáček...

, written and directed by Petr Kaňka, her character was performed by Zuzana Vejvodová

Zuzana Vejvodová

Zuzana Vejvodová is a Czech actress.In 2000 she graduated from Prague Conservatory. Afterwards she joined Divadlo Na Fidlovačce . She regularly performs in TV films and series. In April 2008 she was shortlisted for TýTý Award, an annual Czech television award, in one of the categories...

Further reading