2..

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