SMETANA, Bedrich
b Litomysl, Bohemia, 2 March 1824
d Prague, 12 May 1884, aged sixty
The son of a keen amateur musician, at the age of five he played first violin in a Haydn quartet and gave a public piano recital when he was six. He studied composition and theory in Prague, and was appointed resident piano teacher to the family of Count Leopold Thun. During that time he met Berlioz and the Schumanns. In 1847, unable to establish himself as a piano virtuoso, he decided to open his own music school; he wrote to Liszt for advice and a loan, but Liszt sent only advice. The school opened in 1848, and in that year political upheavals sparked off his nationalistic fervour. For the next eight years he made little progress; his wife showed symptoms of tuberculosis and in 1855 three of his four daughters died. He moved to Goteborg in Sweden, where he found immediate success as a conductor, pianist and teacher. His wife died in 1859 and he married again in 1860. The political situation in Prague suddenly changed for the better, so he returned there in 1861. Despite further political unrest and official hostility, and the deafness that overtook him in 1874, he continued writing. He died of syphilis.
1848-9 (24-5)
Festive Overture, in D major
1853-4 (29-30)
Festive Symphony, in E major
1855 (31)
Piano Trio in G minor
1858 (34)
Richard III, symphonic poem
Wallenstein's Camp, symphonic poem (1858-9)
1860-1 (36-7)
Haakon Jarl, symphonic poem
1862 (38)
On the Sea-shore, for piano
1863 (39)
The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, opera
1866 (42)
The Bartered Bride, opera
1868 (44)
fp Dalibor, opera
Solemn Prelude in C major for orchestra
1874 (50)
The Two Widows, opera
Ma Vlast, six symphonic poems: Vysehrad (The High Castle) Vltava Sarka From Bohemia's Woods and Fields Tabor Blanik
1876 (52)
The Kiss, opera
String Quartet No 1, From My Life, in E minor
1878 (54)
The Secret, opera
Czech Dances
1881 (57)
fp Libuse, opera
1882 (58)
String Quartet No 2 in D minor
1883 (59)
The Prague Carnival
String Quartet No 3