“The Czechs live through music” – Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
Bedřich Smetana is a central authority in Czech music. His life story, in the predominantly German culture of Bohemia, aptly reflects this difficult era. Smetana contributed significantly to the emancipation of Czech musical life, and to the development of Czech musical identity. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all his magnificent music today!
Bedřich Smetana came from a German-speaking family from Litomyšl, where his father worked as a brewer. The boy was not a good student, but he devoted himself intensively to the study of music and gave concerts with the local string quartet as early as 1830. After 1842 Smetana began to compose more intensively, initially smaller piano pieces such as Polkas, later also first orchestral works.
From 1843 Smetana lived in Prague, where he first studied composition and piano, and later, from 1848 he taught at his own music institute. Over the years, Smetana gained a good reputation in Prague circles as a solo pianist and teacher, but for a long time he was dissatisfied with his position. After the tragic death of three of his four daughters, he decided to accept an offer from Sweden, where he was appointed director of the Gothenburg Philharmonic Society from 1856 to 1861. There he gained valuable experience as a conductor and pianist. On the concert stage, he performed a wide range of classical and romantic compositions.
Smetana’s greatest influence, however, was the encounter with Franz Liszt and his Faust symphony. Smetana was fascinated by the programmatic form, the symphonic poem. He first composed a trio of Swedish symphonic poems, and later a cycle of symphonic poems, “Mein Vaterland”, “Má Vlast”, in six movements, the most famous of which is Vltava, The Moldau.
After his return from Sweden, Smetana took a position as Kapellmeister at the Provisional (later National) Theater in Prague. This is where he began composing operas, there are a total of eight Operas by Smetana, the best known is the comic opera “The Bartered Bride”. Smetana has long been criticized in Czech circles for his ’Wagnerian’ approach to opera, however it is indisputable that he was instrumental in the development of Czech opera, introducing many new musical and theatrical elements. Smetana’s greatest role models were Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, and Frédéric Chopin.
Towards the end of his life, like Ludwig van Beethoven, he suffered a severe blow, when he completely lost his hearing in 1874. Gradually he had to withdraw from public life, and gave up his work as a conductor and teacher. Paradoxically, however, this was one of the most fruitful periods in Smetana’s composing life. The autobiographical programmatic string quartet From My Life from 1876 is one of Smetana’s greatest works of reflection.
“I still want to give to the nation, that what I still owe, and what I have in my heart, in a work of great scope, for that, I have to keep all my strength in my sad state!”
After 1881, Smetana’s mental health began to deteriorate. In 1883 Smetana witnessed the opening of the National Theater in Prague, which was celebrated with the premiere of his festive opera “Libuše”. A year later he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where he died a few months later. His funeral became an unmistakable manifesto for a Czech nation, who, young and old alike, accompanied their Czech-Maestro on his last journey.
for: Piano
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 1672697
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1615931
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1615869
Thema aus der Sinfonischen Dichtung Nr. 2 "Mein Vaterland"
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1566009
Ab
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553966
Am
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1554118
Sonderstimmen II
for: Symphonic school orchestra
Additional parts
Item no.: 1351317
Band 1
Leichtere Kompositionen
for: Piano
Ensemble score
Item no.: 1343029
for: Brass ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1331556
from The Bartered Bride
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 898249
In Full Score
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1198880
Harmonia-Men's Choir
for: Male choir (TTBB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 931863
Quintett für Blechbläser
for: 5 brass winds
Score, Parts
Item no.: 241567
Klassische Meisterwerke zum Kennenlernen
Für Klavier leicht bearbeitet
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1215439
Two Works by Dvorák & Smetana
Masterworks for Violin
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 780730
from: The Bartered Bride
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 779886
Große Komponisten und ihre Zeit 21
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 768495
from: “My Fatherland”
for: Violin-Ensemble (3-4 Violinen)
Music score
Item no.: 761160
from: Má vlast (My Country)
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 691984
leichte und gekürzte Fassung
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 689361
Die sinfonische Dichtung von Friedrich Smetana
Illustrated book, CD
Item no.: 684483
Urtext
for: Violin, cello, piano (piano trio)
Piano score, parts (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 682576
for: 2 flutes (duet)
Ensemble score
Item no.: 680598
for piano
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Piano
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 680592
from: Má vlast (My Country)
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 679915
from: Má vlast (My Fatherland)
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 675062
Bohmischer Tanz Nr.5
for: Sopran-Saxophon, Alt-Saxophone (2), Tenor-Saxophon, Bariton-Saxophon
Score, part
Item no.: 1199641
Klassik
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1101078
from Má Vlast
for: Flute, piano
Music score
Item no.: 722356
from Má Vlast
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 722308
from Má Vlast
for: Cello, piano
Music score
Item no.: 743260
from Má Vlast
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 737139
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1381115
Die verkaufte Braut
for: Voice (tenor), piano
Music score
Item no.: 741087
from Ma Vlast, No. 2 The Moldau
for: Choir (2 voices), piano
Score
Item no.: 911646
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1202161
„Quelle“
for: gemischtes Instrumental-Ensemble
Music score
Item no.: 746444
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 744589
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 730210
Comic opera in three acts
Opera Explorer
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
2 Study scores, lyric book
Item no.: 1345135
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 755854
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1382883
2 Duette
for: Violin, piano
Item no.: 555228
from: My Fatherland
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 750996
Studienpartitur (tschech) und Libretto (en)
in 2 Bänden
for: BUEHNENWERKE + SZENISCHE WERKE OPER
Item no.: 1345142
for: Symphonic orchestra
Set of parts
Item no.: 1201424
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1201425
for: Violin, cello, piano (piano trio)
Piano score, parts
Item no.: 1382948