Bedrich Smetana Free Sheet Music, Program Notes, Recordings and Biography

The Voice of a Nation

In 1874, the composer Bedřich Smetana was dealt a devastating blow: he went completely deaf. For a musician, it was the cruelest of fates. Yet, in the silent world of his imagination, the sounds of his beloved homeland rang clearer than ever. It was during this period of deafness that he composed his most famous and enduring masterpiece, a tone poem depicting the journey of the great Vltava river as it flows through the Czech countryside. He heard the bubbling springs, the roaring rapids, the sounds of a forest hunt, and the joyous melodies of a peasant wedding entirely in his mind. This work, known to the world as The Moldau, is a testament to Smetana's indomitable spirit and his profound connection to his nation. He was more than a composer; he was the first artist to give the Czech nation its own unique voice in the world of classical music.

A Brewer's Son with a Patriot's Heart

Bedřich Smetana was born in Litomyšl, Bohemia, a region that was then part of the Austrian Empire. His father was a brewer, and the family’s primary language was German, the official language of the empire. Smetana was a gifted pianist from a young age, but his formal education was somewhat haphazard. As a young man, he was swept up in the wave of romantic nationalism that was spreading across Europe. He began to consciously study the Czech language and dedicated his life to the dream of creating a truly national style of music for his people, who were struggling to assert their own cultural identity against Austrian dominance.

His early career was a struggle. He worked as a music teacher for an aristocratic family in Prague and briefly opened his own music school. He was an ardent patriot and participated in the failed revolution of 1848, an uprising that sought greater autonomy from Austria. The political crackdown that followed made it difficult for him to establish a career in Prague.

The Influence of Liszt and a Swedish Sojourn

Smetana was a great admirer of the progressive composers of his day, particularly Franz Liszt, whose new form of the "symphonic poem" would become a major influence on his own work. Frustrated with his prospects in Prague, Smetana accepted a position in 1856 as a conductor and teacher in Gothenburg, Sweden. He spent five successful years there, a period which allowed him to mature as a composer and conductor away from the political pressures of his homeland. He composed several large-scale orchestral works during this time, honing the skills he would need for his future masterpieces.

A National Theater for a National Opera

In the early 1860s, a period of political liberalization began in the Austrian Empire, and Smetana knew it was time to return home. A new Provisional Theatre was being built in Prague with the express purpose of promoting Czech-language opera, and Smetana was determined to be its leading figure. He became the theater’s first principal conductor in 1866 and set about creating a national operatic repertoire.

His greatest success in this vein was his second opera, Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride). Premiered in 1866, this brilliant comic opera was a triumph. Filled with the lively rhythms of Czech folk dances like the polka and the furiant, and populated with charming rural characters, it was a joyful celebration of Czech peasant life. It became a national treasure and remains the most beloved and frequently performed Czech opera.

Má Vlast: My Homeland in Sound

The culmination of Smetana's life's work is his monumental cycle of six symphonic poems, Má Vlast (My Homeland). Composed between 1874 and 1879—entirely after he had gone deaf—the cycle is an epic musical portrait of the Czech nation. Each of the six pieces depicts a different aspect of the country's landscape, history, or legends.

• Vyšehrad evokes the ancient castle overlooking Prague, the seat of the early Czech kings.

• Vltava (The Moldau), the most famous of the cycle, follows the course of the river from its source to its majestic flow through the capital.

• Šárka tells the bloody legend of a mythical warrior maiden.

• From Bohemia's Woods and Fields is a lyrical depiction of the Czech countryside.

• Tábor and Blaník are inspired by the history of the Hussite warriors, a symbol of Czech resilience, and are built around their great chorale, "Ye Who Are Warriors of God."

"From My Life": Deafness and Final Years

The onset of Smetana’s deafness in 1874 was sudden and total, likely caused by syphilis, which would eventually lead to his death. He described the condition in his intensely personal String Quartet No. 1 in E minor. He subtitled the work "From My Life," and it is a musical autobiography. The four movements depict his youthful romanticism, his happy memories of dancing, the love for his wife, and his passion for creating a national music. The finale is tragically interrupted by a high, piercing 'E' in the first violin—a chillingly literal depiction of the tinnitus that plagued him at the onset of his deafness.

Despite his condition, he continued to compose. However, in his final years, his mental health began to deteriorate severely. He suffered from depression, memory loss, and hallucinations. In 1884, he was taken to a mental asylum in Prague, where he died shortly thereafter. He was buried in Prague's Vyšehrad cemetery, the final resting place of many of the nation's greatest cultural figures. Smetana's work laid the essential foundation for the next generation of great Czech composers, including Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček, who built upon his legacy to create a golden age of Czech music.

Section 4: References and Further Reading

References and Further Reading

• Large, Brian. Smetana. Praeger Publishers, 1970.

• Clapham, John. Smetana. J.M. Dent & Sons, 1972.

• Helfert, Vladimír. Bedřich Smetana. Orbis, 1956.

• Tyrell, John. "Smetana, Bedřich." In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. Macmillan Publishers, 2001.