Leoš Janáček (born Hukvaldy, Moravia, July 3 1854; died Moravská Ostrava, August 12 1928) was a Czech composer who lived at the end of the Romantic period and the beginning of the 20th century. He wanted his music to sound typical of his country. The rhythm of Janáček’s music sounds like the rhythm of the dialect he spoke. This was quite close to Polish. Janáček is famous for his operas which are all based on Czech stories. The Cunning Little Vixen is especially charming. It is about animals in a forest (a “vixen” is a female fox).
Most of his greatest works were written towards the end of his life. At this time he was in love with a young woman called Kamila. She was the inspiration for many of his last compositions.