ABSTRACT
No aspect of Janacek's operas has been publicised more widelythan their alleged use of 'speech melodies'. Indeed, most commentators now assume the a priori existence of speech melodies in the composer's operas. However, only John Tyrrell has explored the matter in depth, and many basic questions about Janacek's speechmelody theory and practice remain unanswered. 1 What follows is an attempt to investigate in detail one of the most prominent, and most misrepresented, issues of Janacek opera analysis. A brief initial digression into the principal characteristics of spoken Czech is unavoidable.
