Encyclopedia, Difference between revisions of "Bedřich Smetana" - New World
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'''Bedřich Smetana''' March 2, 1824 - 12 May 12, 1884) is considered one of the greatest [[Czech people|Czech]] [[composer]]s of the 19th century. He is best known for his [[symphonic poem]] ''[[Vltava]]'' (The Moldau), the second in a cycle of six which he entitled ''[[Má vlast]]'' (My Country). | '''Bedřich Smetana''' March 2, 1824 - 12 May 12, 1884) is considered one of the greatest [[Czech people|Czech]] [[composer]]s of the 19th century. He is best known for his [[symphonic poem]] ''[[Vltava]]'' (The Moldau), the second in a cycle of six which he entitled ''[[Má vlast]]'' (My Country). | ||
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| − | Bedrich Smetana | + | [[Image:Bedrich-Smetana-Litomisl.jpg|thumb|left|150px|The Smetana monument in Litomyšl]] |
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| − | + | Bedrich Smetana was born as the seventh child of a fairly wealthy man from the third marriage of Master Brewer Frantisek Smetana to Barbora Linkova. The family was constantly on the move, and young Bedrich went to high school in Jindrichuv Hradec, Jihlava, Havlickuv Brod, Prague and Plzen, where he graduated under the supervision of his cousin. He appeared as a pianist for the first time in 1830 at the Litomysl Academy of Philosophy. A deciding factor in Smetana's artistic development was his period studying under Josef Proksch in Prague, from 1843. After completing his studies, he founded his own private piano school in Prague, and a year later married his teenage love Katerina Kolarova. | |
| + | who was the head brewer in the Litomysl castle brewery. Although he is the Czech Republic's national composer and wrote several operas in Czech, as a child he was not taught the language. From a very early age he showed a great talent for music, which was encouraged within the family, and he played the piano at his first concert at the age of eight. Throughout his childhood, he also performed in a quartet at home, playing first violin, and his father second. When Smetana's thoughts turned to studying music at a higher level, this was, however, not encouraged: | ||
| − | + | Once he completed his studies, he obtained work as a music teacher, and began composing, but following the events of 1848, the year of revolutions around Europe, and political oppression in the 1850s, he moved to Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1856, where he became a music teacher, and this was a time of mixed blessings for him: | |
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| − | + | Smetana's wife died on route to Prague in 1859. He did not settle in Prague permanently at first, and spent his time travelling back and forth to Gothenburg, before making Prague his home in 1863. During this time, he composed his historical opera The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, whose first performance in 1864 was an instant success. This was followed in 1866 by perhaps his most famous opera, the comedy The Bartered Bride. The Bartered Bride was an instant and enduring success. It was in the same year that Smetana became a conductor at the Provisional Theatre, the first theatre in Prague to hold performances in Czech, and he held this position until he went deaf in 1874. | |
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| − | in general his works were well received during his lifetime, with a few exceptions, such as his tragic opera Dalibor, written in 1867, which was heavily criticised. | + | Amongst the many compositions from this period were Ma Vlast, My Homeland, possibly Smetana's best known piece, a set of symphonic poems which evoked the beauty of the Czech countryside, plus the opera The Kiss, and a piece called The Czech Dances. Towards the end of the 1870s, Smetana's health continued to fail, and in 1883 he apparently suffered a mental breakdown, and was placed in a mental asylum in Prague, where he died shortly after his sixtieth birthday, on May 12th 1884. It is widely believed that in actual fact he died of syphilis. in general his works were well received during his lifetime, with a few exceptions, such as his tragic opera Dalibor, written in 1867, which was heavily criticised. |
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/37465 | http://www.radio.cz/en/article/37465 | ||
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During this period, he devoted his compositional efforts almost exclusively to the piano. The peak of his production from this period is his Klavirni trio g moll (1855) (Piano trio in g minor), which reflected his grief over the death of his daughter Bedriska. In an attempt to escape a place where everything reminded him of his loss, Smetana decided to move abroad, and in 1856 he moved to Goteborg in Sweden. The northern climate accelerated Katerina's illness and she died in 1859. A year later he married again to the 20-year-old Bettina Ferdinandiova. | During this period, he devoted his compositional efforts almost exclusively to the piano. The peak of his production from this period is his Klavirni trio g moll (1855) (Piano trio in g minor), which reflected his grief over the death of his daughter Bedriska. In an attempt to escape a place where everything reminded him of his loss, Smetana decided to move abroad, and in 1856 he moved to Goteborg in Sweden. The northern climate accelerated Katerina's illness and she died in 1859. A year later he married again to the 20-year-old Bettina Ferdinandiova. | ||
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In 1873, Smetana also became the chief director of opera and drama atthe Provisional Theater, where he focused primarily on opera. The fruit of these efforts are such works as Dalibor, Rolnicka, Libusin soud and others. During this period, after three years of work, he completed his masterpiece Libuse. The opera emerged from his awareness of his responsibility to his nation, and his firm belief in its future. | In 1873, Smetana also became the chief director of opera and drama atthe Provisional Theater, where he focused primarily on opera. The fruit of these efforts are such works as Dalibor, Rolnicka, Libusin soud and others. During this period, after three years of work, he completed his masterpiece Libuse. The opera emerged from his awareness of his responsibility to his nation, and his firm belief in its future. | ||
| − | On the night of October 19 to 20, 1874, as a result of a long illness, Smetana was inflicted with the worst misfortune that can befall a composer: absolute deafness. Despite his catastrophe he managed to realize his long-held creative project: to celebrate his homeland and nation with a cycle of symphonic poems. The result was | + | On the night of October 19 to 20, 1874, as a result of a long illness, Smetana was inflicted with the worst misfortune that can befall a composer: absolute deafness. Despite his catastrophe he managed to realize his long-held creative project: to celebrate his homeland and nation with a cycle of symphonic poems. The result was Towards the end of his life, he composed another great string of operas, Hubicka (1876) (The Kiss), Tajemstvi (1877) (The Secret) a Certova stena (1879 - 82) (The Devil's Wall). Bedrich Smetana died on May 12, 1884 in the Prague Institute for the Mentally Ill. |
http://www.radio.cz/en/html/hudba_romantismus.html | http://www.radio.cz/en/html/hudba_romantismus.html | ||
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Smetana was the son of a [[brewing|brewer]] in [[Litomyšl]] in [[Bohemia]], then part of the [[Austrian Empire]]. He studied [[piano]] and [[violin]] from an early age, and played in an amateur [[string quartet]] with other members of his family. Smetana attended a high school in [[Pilsen]] from 1840-1843. He studied [[music]] in [[Prague]], despite initial resistance from his father. He secured a post as music master to a noble family, and in 1848 received funds from [[Franz Liszt]] to establish his own music school. | Smetana was the son of a [[brewing|brewer]] in [[Litomyšl]] in [[Bohemia]], then part of the [[Austrian Empire]]. He studied [[piano]] and [[violin]] from an early age, and played in an amateur [[string quartet]] with other members of his family. Smetana attended a high school in [[Pilsen]] from 1840-1843. He studied [[music]] in [[Prague]], despite initial resistance from his father. He secured a post as music master to a noble family, and in 1848 received funds from [[Franz Liszt]] to establish his own music school. | ||
September 1855 marked the death of his second child, his beloved four-year-old daughter Bedřiska. When his third child died nine months later, he committed himself to composition, producing the Piano Trio in G minor. This piece is full of sadness and despair, making use of phrases that are cut short, possibly in resemblance to his daughter's own life. | September 1855 marked the death of his second child, his beloved four-year-old daughter Bedřiska. When his third child died nine months later, he committed himself to composition, producing the Piano Trio in G minor. This piece is full of sadness and despair, making use of phrases that are cut short, possibly in resemblance to his daughter's own life. | ||
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In 1856, Smetana moved to [[Gothenburg]], [[Sweden]], where he taught, [[Conducting|conducted]] and gave [[chamber music]] recitals. In 1863, back in Prague, he opened a new school of music dedicated to promoting specifically Czech music. By 1874 he had become [[deaf]] from [[syphilis]], but he continued to compose; ''Má vlast'' was written after his deafness had developed. As if plain deafness were not enough, Smetana also suffered from [[tinnitus]], which caused him to hear a continuous, maddening high note which he described as the "shrill whistle of a first [[inversion (music)|inversion]] [[Chord (music)|chord]] of A-flat in the highest register of the [[piccolo]]." | In 1856, Smetana moved to [[Gothenburg]], [[Sweden]], where he taught, [[Conducting|conducted]] and gave [[chamber music]] recitals. In 1863, back in Prague, he opened a new school of music dedicated to promoting specifically Czech music. By 1874 he had become [[deaf]] from [[syphilis]], but he continued to compose; ''Má vlast'' was written after his deafness had developed. As if plain deafness were not enough, Smetana also suffered from [[tinnitus]], which caused him to hear a continuous, maddening high note which he described as the "shrill whistle of a first [[inversion (music)|inversion]] [[Chord (music)|chord]] of A-flat in the highest register of the [[piccolo]]." | ||
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Smetana is noted as being the first composer to write music that was specifically Czech in character. Many of his [[opera]]s are based on Czech themes and myths, the best known being the comedy ''[[The Bartered Bride]]'' (1866). He used many Czech dance rhythms and his [[melody|melodies]] sometimes resemble [[folk music|folk songs]]. He was a great influence on [[Antonín Dvořák]], who similarly used Czech themes in his works. | Smetana is noted as being the first composer to write music that was specifically Czech in character. Many of his [[opera]]s are based on Czech themes and myths, the best known being the comedy ''[[The Bartered Bride]]'' (1866). He used many Czech dance rhythms and his [[melody|melodies]] sometimes resemble [[folk music|folk songs]]. He was a great influence on [[Antonín Dvořák]], who similarly used Czech themes in his works. | ||
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| + | Bedrich Smetana | ||
| + | [26-01-2000] By Nick Carey | ||
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| + | ==Czech Music of the Romantic Era== | ||
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| + | This period saw the advance of the National Revival in the Czech Lands. The greatest display of these revivalist tendencies in the spirit of Romanticism appeared primarily in Czech opera. The resounding success of Weigl's "singspiel" Swiss Family in 1823 inspired Cto compose their own Czech variations of the genre. One of the most important authors of this period is Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) | ||
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==Works== | ==Works== | ||
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* ''Tajemství (The Secret)'' | * ''Tajemství (The Secret)'' | ||
* ''Čertova stěna (The Devil's Wall)'' | * ''Čertova stěna (The Devil's Wall)'' | ||
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| + | ===Other=== | ||
| + | the cycle of symphonic poems Ma vlast (My Homeland), consisting of the parts Vysehrad, Vltava, Sarka, Z ceskych luhu a haju (From Czech Fields and Groves), Tabor and Blanik. | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 02:19, 15 January 2007
Bedřich Smetana March 2, 1824 - 12 May 12, 1884) is considered one of the greatest Czech composers of the 19th century. He is best known for his symphonic poem Vltava (The Moldau), the second in a cycle of six which he entitled Má vlast (My Country).
Life
Bedrich Smetana was born as the seventh child of a fairly wealthy man from the third marriage of Master Brewer Frantisek Smetana to Barbora Linkova. The family was constantly on the move, and young Bedrich went to high school in Jindrichuv Hradec, Jihlava, Havlickuv Brod, Prague and Plzen, where he graduated under the supervision of his cousin. He appeared as a pianist for the first time in 1830 at the Litomysl Academy of Philosophy. A deciding factor in Smetana's artistic development was his period studying under Josef Proksch in Prague, from 1843. After completing his studies, he founded his own private piano school in Prague, and a year later married his teenage love Katerina Kolarova. who was the head brewer in the Litomysl castle brewery. Although he is the Czech Republic's national composer and wrote several operas in Czech, as a child he was not taught the language. From a very early age he showed a great talent for music, which was encouraged within the family, and he played the piano at his first concert at the age of eight. Throughout his childhood, he also performed in a quartet at home, playing first violin, and his father second. When Smetana's thoughts turned to studying music at a higher level, this was, however, not encouraged:
Once he completed his studies, he obtained work as a music teacher, and began composing, but following the events of 1848, the year of revolutions around Europe, and political oppression in the 1850s, he moved to Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1856, where he became a music teacher, and this was a time of mixed blessings for him:
Smetana's wife died on route to Prague in 1859. He did not settle in Prague permanently at first, and spent his time travelling back and forth to Gothenburg, before making Prague his home in 1863. During this time, he composed his historical opera The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, whose first performance in 1864 was an instant success. This was followed in 1866 by perhaps his most famous opera, the comedy The Bartered Bride. The Bartered Bride was an instant and enduring success. It was in the same year that Smetana became a conductor at the Provisional Theatre, the first theatre in Prague to hold performances in Czech, and he held this position until he went deaf in 1874.
Amongst the many compositions from this period were Ma Vlast, My Homeland, possibly Smetana's best known piece, a set of symphonic poems which evoked the beauty of the Czech countryside, plus the opera The Kiss, and a piece called The Czech Dances. Towards the end of the 1870s, Smetana's health continued to fail, and in 1883 he apparently suffered a mental breakdown, and was placed in a mental asylum in Prague, where he died shortly after his sixtieth birthday, on May 12th 1884. It is widely believed that in actual fact he died of syphilis. in general his works were well received during his lifetime, with a few exceptions, such as his tragic opera Dalibor, written in 1867, which was heavily criticised. http://www.radio.cz/en/article/37465
born in Litomysl During this period, he devoted his compositional efforts almost exclusively to the piano. The peak of his production from this period is his Klavirni trio g moll (1855) (Piano trio in g minor), which reflected his grief over the death of his daughter Bedriska. In an attempt to escape a place where everything reminded him of his loss, Smetana decided to move abroad, and in 1856 he moved to Goteborg in Sweden. The northern climate accelerated Katerina's illness and she died in 1859. A year later he married again to the 20-year-old Bettina Ferdinandiova.
Smetana was a great admirer of Franz Liszt, and they were in frequent contact through correspondence and personal meetings. He was gripped by Liszt's idea of the symphonic poem. This gave rise to such works as his Richard III., Valdstynuv tabor (Waldstein's Camp) and Hakon Jarl. After the easing of the political situation in the Czech lands, he hurried home, although things did not immediately go well for him. But in 1863 he finished the singspiel Branibory v Cechach (Brandenburgers in Bohemia,with a libretto by Karel Sabina), which was a great success - and brought its author some much-needed finances. He completed Prodana nevesta (The Bartered Bride) in 1866 and conducted it himself.
In 1873, Smetana also became the chief director of opera and drama atthe Provisional Theater, where he focused primarily on opera. The fruit of these efforts are such works as Dalibor, Rolnicka, Libusin soud and others. During this period, after three years of work, he completed his masterpiece Libuse. The opera emerged from his awareness of his responsibility to his nation, and his firm belief in its future.
On the night of October 19 to 20, 1874, as a result of a long illness, Smetana was inflicted with the worst misfortune that can befall a composer: absolute deafness. Despite his catastrophe he managed to realize his long-held creative project: to celebrate his homeland and nation with a cycle of symphonic poems. The result was Towards the end of his life, he composed another great string of operas, Hubicka (1876) (The Kiss), Tajemstvi (1877) (The Secret) a Certova stena (1879 - 82) (The Devil's Wall). Bedrich Smetana died on May 12, 1884 in the Prague Institute for the Mentally Ill. http://www.radio.cz/en/html/hudba_romantismus.html Smetana was the son of a brewer in Litomyšl in Bohemia, then part of the Austrian Empire. He studied piano and violin from an early age, and played in an amateur string quartet with other members of his family. Smetana attended a high school in Pilsen from 1840-1843. He studied music in Prague, despite initial resistance from his father. He secured a post as music master to a noble family, and in 1848 received funds from Franz Liszt to establish his own music school.
September 1855 marked the death of his second child, his beloved four-year-old daughter Bedřiska. When his third child died nine months later, he committed himself to composition, producing the Piano Trio in G minor. This piece is full of sadness and despair, making use of phrases that are cut short, possibly in resemblance to his daughter's own life. In 1856, Smetana moved to Gothenburg, Sweden, where he taught, conducted and gave chamber music recitals. In 1863, back in Prague, he opened a new school of music dedicated to promoting specifically Czech music. By 1874 he had become deaf from syphilis, but he continued to compose; Má vlast was written after his deafness had developed. As if plain deafness were not enough, Smetana also suffered from tinnitus, which caused him to hear a continuous, maddening high note which he described as the "shrill whistle of a first inversion chord of A-flat in the highest register of the piccolo."
From 1875 he lived in small village of Jabkenice.
His string quartet in E minor, Z mého života (From My Life, composed in 1876), the first of only two quartets, is an autobiographical work. The final movement is punctuated by a piercing high E in the first violin which, Smetana explained, represents the devastating effects of his tinnitus. He may also be hinting at this personal misfortune with the piccolo scoring in Má vlast. In 1883 Smetana, suffering further progressive neurological effects of his illness, finally became insane, and was taken to a mental hospital in Prague, where he died the following year. He is interred in the Vyšehrad cemetery in Prague.
Smetana is noted as being the first composer to write music that was specifically Czech in character. Many of his operas are based on Czech themes and myths, the best known being the comedy The Bartered Bride (1866). He used many Czech dance rhythms and his melodies sometimes resemble folk songs. He was a great influence on Antonín Dvořák, who similarly used Czech themes in his works.
Bedrich Smetana [26-01-2000] By Nick Carey
Czech Music of the Romantic Era
This period saw the advance of the National Revival in the Czech Lands. The greatest display of these revivalist tendencies in the spirit of Romanticism appeared primarily in Czech opera. The resounding success of Weigl's "singspiel" Swiss Family in 1823 inspired Cto compose their own Czech variations of the genre. One of the most important authors of this period is Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
Works
A complete chronological list of Smetana's operas:
- Braniboři v Čechách (Brandenburgers in Bohemia)
- Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride)
- Dalibor
- Libuše
- Dvě vdovy (The Two Widows)
- Hubička (The Kiss)
- Tajemství (The Secret)
- Čertova stěna (The Devil's Wall)
Other
the cycle of symphonic poems Ma vlast (My Homeland), consisting of the parts Vysehrad, Vltava, Sarka, Z ceskych luhu a haju (From Czech Fields and Groves), Tabor and Blanik.
External links
Sources
- Jiří Ramba: Slavné české lebky, antropologicko-lékařské nálezy jako pomocníci historie (Famous Czech Skulls, anthropological-medical findings as helpers of history), Galén, 2005, Prague, ISBN 80-7262-325-7
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