Biography
Like Beethoven, poor old Smetana was deaf for much of his life and for his last few years he was absolutely stone deaf, having no sense of hearing whatsoever.
Tinnitus, a common complaint these days for people who have subjected their ears to sustained loud music, was also another of Smetana’s afflictions and again, like Beethoven, he was troubled by a constant high-pitched whining noise incessantly ringing in his head.
However, this was not to deter the composer from writing absolutely wonderful music that is extremely colourful and also draws on the folk idiom from his native land.
Much of his music is overtly nationalistic in character, the obvious examples being included in his set of symphonic poems ‘Ma Vlast’ (My Country), one of which depicts a musical journey down the river towards the sea, appropriately called Vltava.
Smetana is known as the ‘father’ of Czech music and he came from an intensely musical family.
There’s a famous story that he took part in a performance of a Haydn string quartet at just five years of age and gave his first piano recital just a year later!
He was an ambitious but lazy young man and one good example of his desire to be famous is to be found in a now famous entry in his diary that boldly stated: ‘I wish to become a Mozart in composition and a Liszt in technique’.
His earlier works didn’t receive a very good response, but, never to be worn down or dejected, he made it his business to try and get in with the right people.
He made contact with Berlioz and Robert and Clara Schumann, and on one occasion even wrote to Liszt enclosing a set of piano pieces dedicated to his hero, at the same time asking for a loan.
Liszt proffered some good advice and tried to help him get a publishing deal but tactfully chose to ignore the plea for money.
Undeterred, Smetana decided to open up his own music school in Prague in search of recognition and fulfilment, but neither were satisfied due to the unstable political climate, particularly for musicians, who mainly made their way to Paris or Vienna.
A succession of jobs followed, including one in Sweden, during which time he got married and had four children of which, sadly, only one was to survive. His wife, Katerina, died young from tuberculosis and Smetana soon remarried and in 1861 moved back to Prague.
His life followed a somewhat troubled course, for he gained mixed receptions to his compositions and from 1874 began suffering from the syphilis that was to result in his terrible deafness.
He died at the age of sixty in a mental asylum.
His music is now recognised as being some of the finest to have emerged from Czechoslovakia, and lovers of Slavonic folk-style music will find much to enjoy here.
String Quartet No. 1
String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor: 4th Movement
Chamber Music
Smetana has always been categorised as a nationalistic composer, and there is not one work of his in which his native Czech influences cannot be heard.
His String Quartet No. 1 is no exception, being sharp and spiky, with a sense of urgency that keeps us moving ever forwards.
String Quartet No. 2
String Quartet No. 2 in D Minor: 4th Movement
Chamber Music
Smetana has always been categorised as a nationalistic composer, and there is not one work of his in which his native Czech influences cannot be heard.
His second String Quartet is no exception, being rather sedate, as if one were strolling through the Bohemian countryside.
Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride: Polka
1866, Opera
Smetana is often considered to be the father of Czech musical nationalism, although he was only twenty-four when the patriotic revolutions of 1848–9 swept through Europe. From 1863 to 1866 he worked on his second opera, ‘The Bartered Bride’, a simple comedy of Czech peasant life in a style strongly influenced by Czech folk music. To Czech listeners, this work is more than just an opera: it has become almost a symbol of the Czech people themselves. Happily, however, it captivates non-Czech listeners as well, with its clever use of melodies, orchestral brilliance and temperamental style.
The music of the overture is taken largely from the lively finale of the second act, when the townspeople witness the signing of a contract in which the hero deliberately gives the (false) impression that he is selling his claim to his own fiancée. It opens with a brilliant flourish for full orchestra which is followed by a lively theme spun out very delicately by only the second violins. Soon they are joined by the first violins, and finally by the cellos and double basses building up to a climax of excitement, at which point a new dance theme is introduced.
The overture concludes with reappearances of the original orchestral theme.
Fields and Forests
From Bohemia’s Fields and Forests
1875, Orchestral
‘Má Vlast’ (‘My Country’) is a collection of six orchestral works that Smetana hoped would convey all the beauty and nature of the Bohemian landscape and episodes from the history of the land. The best known section is ‘From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields’, which evokes beautiful pastoral images.