The first larger song cycle in which Martinů tackles folk texts was written in 1917. Although the title of the cycle, Six Simple Songs (Šest prostých písní, H 110), refers to the simplicity of folk texts (Miloš Šafránek believes that these are anonymous texts from common songbooks), in some of the songs only the intention remained in this respect. In their musical texture and overall sound we can identify the romantic songs of the early years [influences of Brahms, Dvořák, and partly Schubert]. Although the piano texture is generally thinner and more simple, here too we find romantic scale runs culminating in the final crown, illogical harmonic progressions or conventional chord spreads. Melodic lines, however, are generally clearer and have a more obvious structure.
The recording of the composition was released for the first time by Naxos in 2011 (Martinů: Songs, Vol. 1 – A Wreath of Carnations; Jana Wallingerová, Giorgio Koukl).
Michaela Vostřelová. Stylový vývoj písní Bohuslava Martinů v prvních dekádách XX. století. Master Thesis, 2014, p. 47–50 [shorted by Jana Burdová].