Wednesday 7 March 2012

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Smetana and the Polish nationalist composer,Moniuszko appreciated each other's works and performed. Speaking of Wagner's declamatory style of composition and his endless melody in orchestration,Smetana once said in the circle of his friend;"We,Czechs are a singing people and can't accept this method". On another occasion,he declared that he was against Wagner's operas,being given in the National Theatre in Prague.He said that they were foreign to us in their downright germanism and that it was necessary to create,on the basis of the Wagnerian reforms,Czech musical drama,which would be on echo of the Czech spirit. Smetana learned a number of old Czech dance from a retired teacher,Suchy in Jabkenice. Smetana said "Dvorak was a very talanted composer,especially his symphony in E flat". Dvorak had never made a secret of the fact that Saint-Saens was not a composer,that he liked. Smetana said,"My compositions do not belong to the category of "absolute music",where you can find your way about with the aid of musical signs and a metronome.These aids are not enough for my compositions.All of my works has sprung from inner moods of my soul."- 1.&2.are quotations from "Letters&Reminiscences of Smetana"by Frantisek Bartos,translated from Czech by Daphne Rusbridge

Interesting facts about the Czech composer,Smetana. 1..

Asked the help from Liszt when he was young(in the beginning of his beginning of his career). Liszt helped him to publish his op.1 work by the Leipzig publisher,Franz Kistner. The compositions,submitted by Smetana to the Schumanns were not greatly to Clara Schumann's liking;above all she was not reconciled to the influence of Berlioz,which was noticeable in his compositions. Worked in Gothenburg,Sweden. Jiri,Benda,the founder of the Mannheim school,Stanic(or Stamitz),Richter,Myslivecek,Dusik,Rejcha etc.,but Smetana was the first to give Czech music its characteristic stamp,its own distinctive expression to bring to life,its typical rhythm and pulsation. In socialising occasion at Liszt's in Weimer-nasty statements by Viennese composer,Herbeck,who was a confirmed enemy of everything Czech."All that Bohemia can bring forth is fiddlers,mere performing musicians ,who can brag only of their perfection in craftsmanship,in the purely mechanical side of music,whereas on real artist's path of truth and beauty,your creative strength dwindles,indeed hitherto you have not done anything for the development and progress of musical art,for you have not a single composition to show,which is so purely Czech as to adorn and enrich European music literature by virtue of its characteristic originality". Myslivecek-wrote the operas in typical Italian style to Italian words under the name of Venatorini. Tomasek-imitation of Mozart? Liszt sort it out and played one of Smetana's works on the Piano.