Bedřich Smetana
1824 - 1884
Bedřich Smetana was a famous Czech composer who lived from 1824 to 1884. He is known as the "Father of Czech Music" because he helped create a unique style of classical music that represented the country of Bohemia, which became part of Czechoslovakia and is now part of the Czech Republic.
Smetana was the first composer to write music that sounded like it was from the Czech Republic. This helped other famous Czech composers like Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček become popular. Smetana's most well-known works are his opera called The Bartered Bride and a piece of music called Ma Vlast - My Country.
Childhood
Smetana was born in the town of Litomyšl, which was part of the Austrian Empire at the time (but is now in the Czech Republic). His first music teacher was his own father, who played the violin as a hobby. Smetana started learning piano when he was very young and gave his first public concert when he was just 6 years old.
As a teenager, Smetana moved to Prague and became deeply interested in the city's music scene. In 1844, he got a job teaching music to the family of a wealthy nobleman. Around this time, a famous pianist named Franz Liszt encouraged Smetana to open his own piano school in Prague in 1848.
Famous Works
In 1861, Smetana helped start the National Theater, which became a place for Czech operas. Smetana's first opera was called The Brandenburgers in Bohemia. His second opera, The Bartered Bride, made him famous. The Bartered Bride establish Smetana as a truly nationalist composer who represented the spirit and culture of Czechia.
Another of Smetana's most celebrated works is a musical suite called Ma Vlast (My Country), which is a set of 6 musical poems about the landscape and history of the Czech lands. The most famous part of Ma Vlast is The Moldau, which describes a river. Parts of it are very similar to the Israeli National Anthem, HaTikva (The Hope).
Later Life
Towards the end of his life, Smetana became very sick. He started losing his hearing because of a disease that he had. He continued composing as long as he could. Eventually, he could no longer compose. He died in the hospital in 1884.