Harry Halbreich was the first to draw attention to the original version of the one-act opera Mariken de Nimègue, H 236 2/I (1933), which later became part of the opera cycle The Plays of Mary, H 236 (1934). At the heart of Martinů’s early work on this opera lay his growing interest in medieval folk theatre, a fascination that intensified in the early 1930s. The first major work to emerge from this creative impulse was The Legend of Saint Dorothy (1931), a ballet scene with vocal parts, which Martinů incorporated into the first version of the ballet Špalíček, H 214/I (1932). Immediately after completing Špalíček, Martinů began to devote himself to the idea of composing “an old play or legend adapted for the contemporary stage.” By the spring of 1933, this vision started to take on more concrete form. He envisioned an opera inspired by the oldest folk plays—an approach that closely mirrored the aesthetic and stylistic choices of The Legend of Saint Dorothy. His aim was to create a full-length cycle in the "style and form of folk plays," consisting of three or four relatively short movements, “almost in the manner of medieval theatre.”
Martinů had been living in Paris for ten years when, on 19 April 1933, he was visited for the first time by the poet Vítězslav Nezval, whom he immediately enlisted for his latest creative project. By that point, the composer already had a clear vision of the textual sources he wished to use. According to Nezval’s diary, on 5 May Martinů brought him the libretto of the popular and widely known Dutch medieval miracle play Mariken van Nieumeghen, dating from the early 16th century. Over the following three days, Nezval worked intensively on the adaptation together with Martinů and stage director Jindřich Honzl, whom the composer had already invited to collaborate on the opera cycle in the autumn of 1932. However, it later became apparent that Nezval’s initial enthusiasm for the opera project waned significantly after his departure from Paris. This decline in commitment became a key factor in the eventual change of direction and the creation of a version based on a French text—something Martinů had not originally intended. Despite repeated urgings from both the composer and Honzl, Nezval delayed delivering the final libretto for Mariken, which further contributed to the shift in Martinů’s plans.
In June, Martinů began searching for a new librettist for Mariken in Paris. He eventually found one in the literary and theatrical figure Henri Ghéon, whom he had met shortly before 22 April 1933. Soon after their meeting, Martinů introduced himself to Ghéon in a letter, presenting himself as a composer with a strong interest in medieval theatre. He specifically requested texts of medieval plays in modern French, mentioning in particular the collection Miracles de Nostre Dame.
Martinů was introduced to Ghéon through Šafařík, within the literary, musical, and artistic circles that gathered on Sundays at the home of Jacques Maritain and his wife, the poet Raïssa Maritain. Jacques Maritain, a prominent Catholic philosopher and leading authority on medieval aesthetics, provided an ideal intellectual and cultural environment for Martinů, who was, at the time, deeply engaged in exploring medieval theatrical forms. In Ghéon—himself a regular guest of the Maritains and a passionate advocate of medieval folk theatre—Martinů found a kindred spirit perfectly suited to his vision. Unlike Nezval, Ghéon proved to be highly reliable. Before 29 June, Martinů had already received from him the first scenes of Mariken de Nimègue, the title used for the opera’s original French version. Although Martinů had initially intended to set Mariken to a Czech libretto as part of a larger opera cycle, it became clear at this stage that he would be working on two versions: first a French setting, followed by a Czech adaptation. He thus began seeking a suitable collaborator for the Czech version.
It was only after several months that Martinů found a suitable author for the Czech adaptation in the poet Vilém Závada, who submitted his version of the text before 5 March 1934. Martinů informed Honzl of the development, noting that Závada’s text was “very nice” and written in the spirit of Poetism—markedly different in style from Ghéon’s French version. As a result, Martinů realized he would need to rework the entire opera to accommodate the new Czech libretto. This process led to the creation of the second version of Mariken, which would ultimately become part of the opera cycle The Plays of Mary.
Despite this shift, Martinů continued to consider a production of the French version and remained in correspondence with Ghéon, writing to him again in December 1936 and May 1937. He was fully aware that a staging would require him to complete the piano score with the French text—a task he had already begun back in 1933.
Reflecting on the genesis of the first version of Mariken, which remains unperformed and largely unknown even among specialists, it becomes clear that the project was shaped significantly by two key factors: Nezval’s bohemian attitude toward artistic commitments and Martinů’s growing impatience in his search for a viable Czech libretto. Together, these circumstances paved the way for the creation of the opera’s original French version.
Aleš Březina – Ivana Rentsch – Jitka Zichová – Pavel Žůrek. Dělat opravdové divadlo I. Komentované kritické vydání libret všech jevištních děl Bohuslava Martinů z let 1913–1937 a kritická notová edice jeho oper Mariken de Nimègue a Alexandre bis. In: Hudební věda, 4/59, 2022, p. 494–500 [shortened].