During his pre-war years in France, Bohuslav Martinů was constantly in touch with musical life in his homeland. That is why he gladly accepted the request of the singer Magdalena Matějovská to send one of the songs from his cycle Magical Nights, H 119 (1918, on words of Chinese poetry), originally for voice and orchestra, here arranged for alto (with piano); in the cycle he calls it Untouched by the Spring (original text by Tchan-Yo-Su), in this [piano] version Blossom of the Peach Tree [Fleur de pêcher]. In characteristic form, he apologises to the singer's husband for the delay in his reply: 'In order to better excuse my delay, I am also sending at the same time a song I have just written, and I am pleased to dedicate it to the gracious lady' (letter from Paris, 24 February 1932). Attached was the song Automne malade (Sick Autumn, lyric by Guillaume Apollinaire [Alcools of 1913]) for alto and piano to the original French text with the dedication on the title page “À Madame M. Matějovský[!]”.
[The autograph of the songs is still missing. Harry Halbreich, in view of the date of the letter, has determined the origin of the songs to 1932]. The world premiere of Automne malade was performed at the founding ceremony of the Bohuslav Martinů Society at the Prague Music Theatre on 21 February 1977.
Jaroslav Mihule. Bohuslav Martinů: Two Songs (Deux Chansons), Prague: Panton, 1980 [edited and supplemented by Jana Burdová, 2025].