Martinu wrote Bergerettes for piano, violin and cello in 1939 during his stay in Paris. It is a cycle of five miniatures, each in three movements in A-B-A form with a central contrast in the manner of a scherzo.  Indeed, most of the pieces have a scherzando character defined by a vigorous, dance-inspired outer section relaxing into a lyrical trio in the middle and a da capo repeat. The work reflects the composer's pernament connection to his native land through elements of Czech folk music.
The term "Bergerette" is somewhat mysterious. Historically, it had been used to denote 15th century French poetry, 16th century dance of a lively nature and 18th century pastoral song with an amorous bent. It is not known whether Martinů found inspiration in any of these historical contexts. However, many aspects would suggest so, whether it be the dance-like character in the individual movements interspersed with contrasting poetically-tuned pieces, or the similarities in formal construction.