Bedřich Smetana -- Vltava (The Moldau) from Má vlast -- Score

Описание: Name a deaf composer? Ludwig van Beethoven
Name a Czech composer? Antonin Dvořák
Name a deaf, Czech composer? Bedřich Smetana


Like his spiritual successor Dvořák, Smetana wished to write music with a uniquely Bohemian character. He developed his own writing style, even as some critics condemned his identification with modern musical theories from Wagner and Liszt (they were foreigners, after all). By 1874, an illness had rendered him entirely deaf, but rather than stifle his creativity, it freed him from other duties (and their attendant critical controversies) and led to a period of greater and more personal output for the remainder of his life.


One of the modern theories he incorporated was Liszt's Tone Poem, as described on a previous video in this channel. He wrote a nationalistic suite of six tone poems, Má vlast (My Fatherland) of which the second, Vltava, is perhaps his most commonly-performed work. The iconic tune is actually an adaptation of an old Italian melody, which was itself adapted to become the tune of Hatikvah, the National Anthem of Israel. It depicts a journey along the river from the small streams of its source, as described in Smetana's own words:


The composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs, the Cold and Warm Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current, the course of the Vltava through woods and meadows, through landscapes where a farmer's wedding is celebrated, the round dance of the mermaids in the night's moonshine: on the nearby rocks loom proud castles, palaces and ruins aloft. The Vltava swirls into the St John's Rapids; then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the Vyšehrad, and then majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Labe.


This particular recording, of two Czech orchestras under a Czech conductor in the largest Czech city, also demonstrates the differences of outdoor concerts. There is no echo, which allows the intricate woodwind parts to be heard crisply, and starting at 5:07 bells start ringing --possibly the Astronomical Clock at the Town Hall, or maybe St. Nicholas Church, it's not quite clear. Either way, a very unique recording, which is why it was selected for this video.


Score sourced through the International Music Score Library Project / Petrucci Music Library:
https://ks4.imslp.info/files/imglnks/...
Score produced by Morris Haim and is used under Creative Commons License 4.0


Music extracted from live concert broadcast:
   • Smetana: Ma vlast (My Fatherland) - No. 2....  


Thumbnail image by Phoenix CZE, used under Creative Commons License 4.0:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...





This video is produced for educational purposes, for the benefit of amateurs, enthusiasts, and professional musicians alike. No claim of ownership is made over the component parts of this video.

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