The Opening of the Wells (; also known as The Opening of the Springs), H. 354 (1955) is a chamber cantata by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinà ¯.
It was composed in June and July 1955 in Nice, France to the text of the Czech poet Miroslav Bureà ¡. It was written for female chorus, soprano, alto and baritone solos, reciter, two violins, viola and piano. The composition was dedicated to "Miroslav Bureà ¡ and our Moravian Highlands". The composition is a part of the four-part cycle of cantatas (The Opening of the Wells, Legend of the Smoke from Potato Fires, The Romance of the Dandelions, Mikeà ¡ of the Mountains); all are connected with the Moravian Highlands, Martinà ¯'s native region.
The cantata relates to the customs around welcoming spring, and the cleansing of springs of detritus at the end of winter. The baritone sings as a pilgrim returning to his native land.
The Opening of the Springs, edited by VÃÂt Zouhar, was published by Bärenreiter in the Bohuslav Martinà ¯ Complete Edition volume "Cantatas on Texts by Miloslav Bureà ¡" in 2016.