Bedřich Smetana

Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884), a Romantic composer from Bohemia in the Czech lands, is often called the “father of Czech music.” By incorporating the history, landscapes, and folk-inspired rhythms of his homeland, he laid the foundations of the Czech national school. His opera The Bartered Bride portrays Czech popular life through lively dances and accessible melodies, while the symphonic cycle Má vlast presents the country’s history and scenery on a grand scale; its second movement, “The Moldau,” is especially well known. Smetana’s piano music includes the Czech Dances as well as polkas and imaginative, lyrical miniatures, combining rhythmic vitality with subtle emotional expression. He continued composing after losing his hearing late in life and exerted a lasting influence on later Czech composers.