Bedřich Smetana: Vltava (1/2)

A holy Czech national composition about the Moldau river, from Bedřich Smetana's cycle of symphonic poems "My Country" (Má vlast). Pictures added by Lumajs.

Don't forget the second (longer) part of the composition here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcM84dhFfw8

For some additional comments of mine about the composition, see

http://motls.blogspot.com/2009/03/bedrich-smetana-moldau.html

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• Czech
• music
• patriot
• river
• Moldau
• Vltava
• Bohemia

[janab71]

nadhera, brecim u toho jak zelva...........ale dotaz, proc tam mas izraelskou vlajku? znam tu historii, ale nejak nechapu, proc si ji tam zaradil.........preci s cechy nema nic spolecneho............nebo mi z te historie neco uniklo? vim, ze jejich hymna byla slozena 20 let pote, co vznikla vltava, a ze ji v podstate zcizili...........nebo je to jinak? diky

[lumajs]

@janab71 Ahoj Jani, jo, je to tam proto, že jejich hymna užila stejné téma, a vím, že Smetana byl před nimi, ačkoliv asi ne úplně první původce celého tématu melodie. Objevuje se to v řadě lidovek - a nakonec kočka leze dírou je jedna z nich. Přidal jsem tam tu vlajku prostě do kontextu jako příznivec Izraele.

[APolaris]

This piece is about 80 times more stunning than Fur Elise, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Overture 1812, Canon, and Ode to Joy combined. Why is it less well known?

[lumajs]

@APolaris Dear APolaris, I don't want to be paranoid, but this is simply true: it's because the authors of all your compositions you mentioned were from big nations, either Germany or Russia. While Smetana has spoken only German throughout his life, up to the moment when he became deaf and when he learned some Czech, it is true that he was promoted to the Czech national composer. And the Czech nation is 8-20x smaller than the two nations mentioned previously. Not enough mass to propagate it.

[BlauerBooo]

@lumajs

I wouldn't say that a composer's fame is only related to the size of his homecountry. Quality survives. This is true for Mozart or Beethoven or Bach as well as for other, "smaller" composers. The higher publicity of some just might come from their larger amount or steady quality of music.

Also in Germany there were great composers who aren't known everywhere else. Some of my first childhood-memories of music contain the Dresden Concerti of Heinichen and - Smetana's Moldau. Great music!

[lumajs]

@BlauerBooo Right, agreed. Still, Smetana was borrowed and declared our (Czech) national composer, so the foreigners may find him provincial just for this very reason. There have been many emotions in the 19th century about whether Smetana or Dvořák was better. Dvořák was 17 years younger and a true patriot - but Smetana was already "the" composer of the nation. Paradoxically, Dvořák became #1 Czech composer globally while Smetana remained #1 in Czechia.

[pienorino]

i LOVE it. i played this piece in my youth orchestra. great! absolutely wonderful. go the cello!

[trekkie1234569]

Prelepo, pozdrav iz Srbije. :-)

[SSSRbida]

co tam dela kurva ta zidovska vlajka?

[krulf84]

@janab71 proste mazec mlady nevědi kd dje maapa

[TerminatorT505]

Jak už to u nás bývá, mnoho lidí mě odsoudí, ale pro mě je Béďova Vlatav národnější hudba než naše státní hymna. Bohužel.

[ShagohodArkan]

Ik vltlava num kerukiet pravatni, ko sonaket sto lenumischet?

[142Cyril]

@anlinwang2 What exactly are they known for in America?

[142Cyril]

@P1B1U1H1 Czech women are Slavic which explains much of their physical beauty. Just compare Czech, Polish, and Russian women with German, English, or Netherlandish ones. Genetics play a big role- bone structure, etc. Another reason is that Czech women, like in most nations east of Germany, have not been carried away by feminist theory that says women must be on the same level as men in all things. Czech women generally realise they're not like men and are proud of it.

[baruchrademacher]

@P1B1U1H1 LOL good question

[baruchrademacher]

this music is simply heavenly......I remember I heard it somewhere when I went to Prague.

Great jobs with the pics, lumajs. Your country is wonderful and full of breath-taking landscapes :) and czech language is nice, too :)

[P1B1U1H1]

@anlinwang2 It's true, no where else beats the Czech Republic in this matter.. For me Janáček was the finest Czech composer. Jenůfa becomes the best twentieth century opera when Puccini's oeuvre is recognized as being nineteenth century in origin. Káťa Kabanová leaves me breathless at its end.

[anlinwang2]

@P1B1U1H1

um.

thats not what theyre known for here in america....