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"Smetana" redirects here. For the soured cream, see smetana (dairy product). Smetana is a Russian loanword in English for a Dairy product, that is produced by Souring heavy cream
Portrait of Bedřich Smetana
Portrait of Bedřich Smetana

Bedřich Smetana (pronounced [ˈbɛdr̝ɪx ˈsmɛtana] (help·info); 2 March 1824 - 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Czechs (Češi ˈt͡ʃɛʃɪ archaic Čechové) are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance He is best known for his symphonic poem Vltava (better known as The Moldau from the German), the second in a cycle of six which he entitled Má vlast ("My Country"), and for his opera The Bartered Bride. A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of Orchestral Music in one movement in which some extramusical program provides a narrative or illustrative element Má vlast (traditionally translated as My Country or more literally My Fatherland) is a set of six Symphonic poems composed between 1874 and Má vlast (traditionally translated as My Country or more literally My Fatherland) is a set of six Symphonic poems composed between 1874 and Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto The Bartered Bride ( Prodaná nevěsta, The Sold Fiancée) is the second Opera, a comedy in three acts by Bedřich Smetana.

Contents

Biography

Smetana was the son of a brewer in Litomyšl in Bohemia, then part of the Austrian Empire. Brewing is the production of Alcoholic beverage and Alcohol fuel through fermentation. Litomyšl (ˈlɪtomɪʃl̩ German: Leitomischl) is a town and municipality in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the For the history of these states before 1804 see Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, and articles on each of the component countries. He studied piano and violin from an early age, and played in an amateur string quartet with other members of his family. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member A string quartet is a Musical ensemble of four String instruments &mdash usually two Violins a Viola and Cello &mdash or a piece Smetana attended a high school in Pilsen from 1840-1843. He studied music in Prague, despite initial resistance from his father. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. 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. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber 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 Osteomyelitis, but he continued to compose; Má vlast was written after his deafness had developed. Osteomyelitis is an Infection of Bone or Bone marrow, usually caused by Pyogenic Bacteria or Mycobacteria. 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. Tinnitus (tɪˈnaɪtəs or /ˈtɪnɪtəs/ from the Latin word for " Ringing " is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding In Music theory, the word inversion has several meanings There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and This article describes musical chords in traditional Western styles The piccolo is a small Flute. Like the flute the piccolo is normally pitched in the key of C one octave above the concert flute (making it effectively a sopranino "

Smetana's Tomb, Vyšehrad cemetery
Smetana's Tomb, Vyšehrad cemetery

From 1875 he lived in small village of Jabkenice. Jabkenice is a village in Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic.

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. String Quartet No 1 ( "From My Life",in Czech: "Z mého života") in E minor, written in 1876, is a four-movement Each movement tells a different story about Smetana's life. The first movement is expressive, demonstrative of Smetana's youthful love of art and his search for something undefinable. The second movement, carefree and somewhat raucous, takes the listener back to the days of Smetana's youth. The third movement is reminiscent of the happiness Smetana felt when in love with the girl who later became his wife. The final movement begins with Smetana's joy over the recognition which was given to the national music of Bohemia. However, as the movement progresses, the music is punctuated by a piercing high E in the first violin which, Smetana explained, represents the devastating effects of his tinnitus. Tinnitus (tɪˈnaɪtəs or /ˈtɪnɪtəs/ from the Latin word for " Ringing " is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding He may also be hinting at this personal misfortune with the piccolo scoring in Má vlast.

Smetana was 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). Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto The Bartered Bride ( Prodaná nevěsta, The Sold Fiancée) is the second Opera, a comedy in three acts by Bedřich Smetana. He used many Czech dance rhythms and his melodies sometimes resemble folk songs. In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Smetana believed that in music was the life of Czechs. He believed that music should be very patriotic. However Smetana clashed with a former friend of his, Frantisek Pivoda, who believed that "art knows no boundaries. " Pivoda wanted to see fair interchange of artistic ideas between countries.

In 1882 Smetana suffered further effects of his progressive neurological illness. After he suffered a stroke-like seizure, doctors forbade him to compose in the fear that the increased mental activity of composition would result in further seizures. However, Smetana rebelled against these orders and composed his final, incomplete, opera, Viola. In 1884 he was taken to the Prague Lunatic Asylum, where he died the following year. He is interred in the Vyšehrad cemetery in Prague. Established in 1869 on the grounds of Vyšehrad Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, the Vyšehrad Cemetery ( Vyšehradský hřbitov

It was belived that Smetana suffered from syphilis, but later studies of doctor Jiří Ramba, who studied Smetana's skull, revealed that he suffered from osteomyelitis. Syphilis is a Sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochetal Bacterium Treponema pallidum pallidum. Osteomyelitis is an Infection of Bone or Bone marrow, usually caused by Pyogenic Bacteria or Mycobacteria.

He was a great influence on Antonín Dvořák, who similarly used Czech themes in his works. Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( (often pronounced in English as; DVOR-zhahk; September 8 1841 – May 1 1904 was a Czech composer of Romantic music, who employed His work influenced many Czech composers who came after him, and continues to inspire musicians today.

Works

Operas

Chamber music

Orchestral music

Other works

Media

References

  1. ^ BVA International Ltd
  2. ^ PRAHA.cz - Bedřich Smetana, světově známý hudební skladatel

External links


Sources

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