Posvícení, H 2, Martinů’s second known composition, was composed in 1907 and performed in the Municipal Theatre in Polička that same year. lt is a brief but charming suite of dances for flute and seven part string orchestra (there are three violin and two cello parts in addition to viola and double-bass). The title Posvícení is variously translated into English as "Village Feast" or "Harvest Festival". Traditionally, it is celebrated on dates which coincide with the anniversary of the consecration of the local church. Increasingly, the term is used for communal celebrations of almost any sort. In Posvícení, Martinů quotes the melody of a song associated with the traditional festival, To je zlaté posvícení (What a golden feast!) a tune familiar to many Czechs to this day.
The piece begins with a relatively placid introduction, the accompanimental rhythm of which – in divided cellos with detached interjections from upper strings – brings the Habanera from Bizet's Carmen to mind. In due course, the "posvícení" song is quoted for the first time, in slightly elaborated form, by solo viola and two solo cellos. It is then taken up by the full ensemble before dying away to a hushed ppp. After a short pause, the more dance-like episodes ensue: a tense chromatic ascent in the strings lead to a brief episode in the style of a mazurka and an even shorter snatch of music reminiscent of a polka. The traditional "posvícení" theme stays aloof from these proceedings, and remains absent as the music momentarily recalls the very opening. The final section is a more extended and rumbustious dance, somewhat in the style of the Czech "skočná" (a vigorous dance in duple time, exemplified by the fifth dance from Dvořák's first set of Slavonic Dances), full of verve and high spirits. The "posvícení" theme is delightfully worked into this new material, concluding the work with an irresistible "joie de vivre", not far removed in tone from Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances (written ten years later, in 1917). Although the perfunctory closing chords of Posvícení betray the impetuosity of youth and may raise an understanding smile, the infectious "élan" of the preceding bars stays longer in the memory and is sure to win this youthful composition many friends.
Michael Crump, Early Orchestral Works, Volume One, Toccata Classics, London 2013