The Cunning Little Vixen facts for kids
The Cunning Little Vixen (its original Czech name is Příhody lišky bystroušky, which means The Adventures of Vixen Sharp-Ears) is an opera created by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček. Janáček really loved animals. In this opera, some of the characters are humans, but many are animals. Some of the small animals, like the grasshopper, frog, and cricket, are often sung by children.
Janáček got the idea for this opera from a cartoon strip. It was called “Sharp-ears” (or "Bystrouška" in Czech). This cartoon appeared in a popular daily newspaper called Lidové noviny. It told the story of a vixen (a female fox) and her exciting adventures in the forest. Janáček thought this story would make a wonderful opera. He made a few changes to the original cartoon. He left out some characters and changed the order of events a little. He also made the humans and animals act in similar ways. The opera was first performed in Brno on 6 November 1924.
When Janáček passed away in 1928, the final part of this opera was played at his funeral.
Contents
The Opera's Story
Sharp-ears Joins the Forester
The story begins with a forester sleeping under a tree. Nearby, a young vixen (a baby fox) is playing. She almost catches a frog, but the frog jumps away. It lands right on the forester’s nose! He wakes up and sees the little vixen playing. He catches her and takes her home to his cottage. He gives her a special name: “Sharp-ears.”
Sharp-ears' Clever Escape
Sharp-ears is not happy at the forester’s home. She is tied up with a rope in the yard. The hens keep bothering her, and the dog is quite boring. One day, she tells the hens they are silly to stay on the farm. She says they are bossed around by the rooster. She tells them they should fly away and be free. Then, she pretends to die. Suddenly, she jumps up and starts chasing the hens! When the forester’s wife comes out, Sharp-ears bites through her rope. She quickly runs away into the forest.
Life in the Forest
Sharp-ears finds a cozy sett (a badger's hole) where a badger lives. She wants to live there herself, so she cleverly chases the badger out of his home. One winter’s night, the forester is drinking at the inn. He teases the priest and the schoolmaster for not having found someone to love. They, in turn, tease the forester for letting the vixen escape. The schoolmaster starts to walk home. He sees the vixen, and she reminds him of someone he once loved. But he cannot catch her.
Love and Family
Sharp-ears soon meets a handsome young male fox named Goldskin. The two foxes fall in love. When Sharp-ears realizes she is pregnant, the fox and vixen get married. A woodpecker acts as the priest for their wedding! Their cubs (baby foxes) are born in the spring.
A Tragic Hunt and New Beginnings
The forester is still looking for Sharp-ears in the forest. One day, he finds a dead hare. A poacher convinces the forester to set a trap. The poacher thinks Sharp-ears will come back to eat the hare. The fox cubs arrive and play near the trap. Sharp-ears realizes the poacher is trying to catch her. She teases him bravely and dares him to shoot her. He shoots her with his rifle, and then he feels very sad.
Some time later, the forester is sleeping under a tree again. He wakes up when a frog lands on his hand. He sees a young vixen playing in front of him. He tells the young cub that she looks just like her mother. He reaches out for her, but he catches a frog instead. He lets the frog go. He understands that life continues, and new generations appear.
The Music
The music in The Cunning Little Vixen perfectly matches the story. There are many tunes with exciting and beautiful harmonies. Sometimes, Janáček uses special modes and whole-tone scales in his music. Janáček often makes his music sound like the folk music from his home country.
See also
In Spanish: La zorrita astuta para niños
