Visit the wells that inspired Bohuslav Martinů to write his famous cantata!

The Opening of the Wells is one of Bohuslav Martinů's most famous compositions, inspired by his native region, the Moravian Highlands. Not many people know that they can visit the wells that inspired this piece and that the place is linked to Martinů’s romance with his pupil, and later a composer in her own right, Vítězslava Kaprálová.

Photo: Irena Šarounová, Czech Radio

In the heart of the Moravian Highlands at an altitude of 733 metres there is a village called Tři Studně (Three Wells). In the woods, a short distance from the village, you will find the wells that gave the village its name.

It was here that Bohuslav Martinů spent time with his pupil Vítězslava Kaprálová, and later composer in her own right, to whom he had a romantic attachment at the time. The Kapral family had a summer house here and in 1938 Vitěslava invited Martinů to holiday with them.

The Opening of the Wells cantata was written much later, in the summer of 1955 in France to the text of the poem The Song of the Rubínka Well written by Martinů's friend, poet Miroslav Bureš.

Photo: Irena Šarounová, Czech Radio

There is little doubt that these are the wells that the composer had in mind when creating the work and the locals are justly proud of the connection.

Every year, on the last Saturday in May, an Opening of the Wells festival is held there and Bohuslav Martinů's cantata is performed to a small audience. A row of simple wooden benches stands directly on the slope above the wells, forming a natural amphitheater. There is also an information board with a text explaining the history and present ritual of opening of the wells and a memorial stone to Kapralová who died at the age of just 25 of tuberculosis.