RecordsnMUSICnby Robert R. ReiliynBohuslav Martinu’s music is undergoingna recording renaissance, thanksnmainly to Supraphon. the Czech recordncompany whose discs are generallynavailable in the larger classical outletsnin major American cities. Supraphonnhas recently issued a newly recorded setnof Martinu’s six symphonies (played bynthe Czech Philharmonic Orchestranunder conductor Vaclav Neumann!.nRCA Gold Seal has also reissued a performancenof the Symphony No. 6nconducted by Charles Munch, for whomnit was written, and Louisville Recordsnhas issued a new recording of Martinii’sn”Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra.”nMartinii, who lived from 1890 ton1959, mostly in France and America,ncomposed prolifically and in a styleninimitably his own. Record-jacket blurbsnspeak of the influence of Debussy andnothers, but his “sound” is unmistakable.nHe composed over 300 works, an astoundingnoutput for an artist in an agenstricken by the paralysis of the 12-tonencrisis. But Martinu went his own way,nimmune to the agonies of those who hadnconvinced themselves that tonality hadnbeen exhausted. The only composer oinwhom Martinii is vaguely redolent is hisncountryman and predecessor. Janacek.nLike Janacek, Martinu was not a “movenment” composer. He did not seem to developnfrom any particular stream of music,nnor did his music lead to any “school.”nMartinu’s impulse was genuinely musical.nThis may seem a strange thing tonhave to say of a composer, but those whonhave suffered through their share ofnmodern academic “music,” inspired byndecidedly unmusical theories, will welcomenthe news.nAs one might expect. Martinu didnnot write over 300 masterpieces. IfnMr. Reiliy is a special assistant at thenInternational Communication Agencynin Washington. D.C.naeinChronicles of CulturenBach may sometimes sound, in Colette’snphrase, like a “celestial sewing machine,”nMartinu occasionally soundsnlike a terrestrial one. This is not due tona heavy reliance on counterpoint ornfugal devices, but to a general sense ofnmechanical bustle that pervades mostnof his compositions. His music oftennproceeds as a succession of skippy knotsnof rhythm and short, jerky melodies.nOne can tire easily of his less-inspirednpieces; they are motoric, repetitive,nrushed. But at its best, Martinu’s musicnis exhilarating, propulsive, mercurial,nplayfully mysterious. It is music full ofnsurprises and quirky delights. It is tonal,nbut spiced with ample dissonances thatnare used miisicallv. Martinu’s uniquenorchestrations are brilliant—the pianonis used to great effect as an orchestralninstrument: winds, brass and percussionnoften have equal voice with the strings.nAll of this is not to say that Martinunis one of the great composers of then20th century. He is. though, a very goodnone, and at the very least an interestingnmusical byway. To anyone who has gottennbeyond Brahms (well, perhaps a littlenfurther), Martinu’s music should be andelightful discovery. Likewise, any intrepidnmodernist tired of trying to picknthe tone rows out of dodecaphonic soundnconstructions will find welcome reliefnnnin Martinii’s musicaiitv.nMy brief mention of Leos Janacek,nMartinii’s predecessor and musical superior,nbrings me to the happy news thatnthe superb performances of Janacek’sntwo string quartets by the JanaceknQuartet are once again available, thisntime through the auspices of the enterprisingnbudget label. Quintessencen(PMC-7193). These were available onnihe Crossroads label years ago. ThenQuintessence record seems to havenbeen cut at a lower level, requiring ansizable volume boost. This, of course,ntends to expose imperfections in thenpressing. Nevertheless, they are stillnthe same indispensable performances ofntwo of the greatest quartets ever penned.nJanacek said his last quartet was “likena piece of living flesh. I don’t think Inever shall be able to write anythingndeeper and more truthful.” Certainlynthere is little in music that speaks in sondirect and passionate a way as these twonquartets.nQuintessence has also reissued KiucinAncerl’s great performances of Janacek’sn”Sinfonietta ” and “Taras Bulba. ” ‘.vhichnused to be on the Turnabout label. Thensound quality may not be the latest, butnit is adequate. The last movement ofn”Sinfonietta” is one of the blazing gloriesnof 20th-century music.nJanacek’s music transcends its ownnnecessary limitations and becomes terriblynmoving as an expression of thenfact that the unutterable remains mute:nit is music”s attempt to say what cannotnbe said. If music which I would callnpassionate is beginning to sound metaphysical,nrecall that Janacek’s last work,nan opera, was based on a novel, ThenHouse of the Dead, by Dostoyevsky,nthat most passionate metaphysician.nAnd if you wish to hear music clamoringnat the very gates of heaven, trynJanacek’s “Slavonic Mass” (Kubelik hasn