''Amarus'' is a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

composed by Czech composer Leoš Janáček, consisting of five movements. It was completed in 1897, having been started after Janáček's visit to Russia the previous summer. ''Amarus'' is a setting of the poem of the same name by

Jaroslav Vrchlický Jaroslav Vrchlický (; 17 February 1853 – 9 September 1912) was a Czech lyrical poet. He was nominated for the Nobel prize in literature eight times. Life He was born Emilius Jakob Frida in Louny. He lived ten years with his uncle, a p ...

, which tells the story of a young monk who had been abandoned at birth and brought up in a monastery. In June 1897, Vrchlický praised Janáček's setting of his poem, commenting: 'I am convinced that you have succeeded in it entirely'. The work's premiere was in 1900, but a poor performance meant that it was not performed publicly again until fifteen years later.

References

1897 compositions Compositions by Leoš Janáček {{classical-composition-stub