V brokátu radosti, v kytici žalu - Vyprávění o vzniku českých zlidovělých písní – Bystrov Michal (2025)

To attempt the impossible and trace the approximate origins of the most famous folk songs from Bohemia and Moravia. This is the task set by experienced music archaeologist Michal Bystrov, author of the acclaimed book trilogy Stories of Songs. Let us embark with him on the trails of ancient melodies and verses, whose original meanings, fates, and true composers have long been forgotten. Based on verified facts, the narrator-pilgrim recounts the history of their creation as detailed and truthfully as possible, comparing all known theories, pointing out centuries-old mistakes, and depicting the environments and situations in which the individual songs were born. Are you curious about who walked along the dam of Tálín Pond, from which bridge the maidens fell in Bošilci, where Putim Gate stood, what lies behind the refrain of Tluče bubeníček, in how many countries the cat goes through a hole, where they danced the kalamajka, who is credited with the invention of the polka, from what fabric K. J. Erben sewed his horror The Wedding Shirt, how the carol about the good King Václav made its way to England, where Andulka šafářova traveled around the world, and what happened with the valiant cannonier Jabůrek? In this book, you will find the answers. Or new questions. Published with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.