Born
March 2, 1824
Died
May 12, 1884
Country
Czech Republic
Born in Litomysl, Czechoslovakia, in 1824, Bedrich Smetana is considered the founder of Czech nationalist music. He was a gifted child prodigy, playing in a string quartet at the age of five, and playing the piano for the Emperor of Austria one year later.
He moved to Prague in 1843 to continue his studies and made a meager living teaching. In 1848, he started his own music school, which failed, followed by an attempt to begin a concert career. He finally found some measure of success in 1856 when he took a job teaching piano in Göteborg, Sweden. He was in demand not only as a teacher, but also as a pianist and conductor. He composed his first symphonic poems in Sweden, which were later well received.
In 1863, Smetana returned to Prague, where a strong nationalist movement was growing. He was appointed conductor of the newly established Czech national opera house, a post he held from 1866 to 1874, when deafness forced him to retire. In 1866, his first opera, The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, was premiered, followed shortly by his second opera, The Bartered Bride. Both were great successes, firmly establishing his reputation.
He produced some of his greatest works in the last years of his life. Prominent among these is the cycle of six symphonic poems My Country (1874-79). Two popular works from this cycle, the Moldau and From the Fields and Groves of Bohemia, are often performed separately at orchestral concerts.
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Video
Get out your opera glasses and prepare to take a look at the history and evolution of an art form over four hundred years old. Learn how singers train and condition their voices, become familiar with some of the stage’s most tragic love affairs, and discover how theatre and music combined can tell epic stories in unforgettable ways.
Meet great composers, explore the vast musical world of the orchestra, study the science behind the instruments, and discover how classical music is anything but boring.
Get inside the mind of a composer—from a popular song, to a Broadway musical, to a symphony, how does a composer write music?
You might see some of these instruments when you come to the Kennedy Center, watch a performance by your school band, or at any other concert you attend! Click the slides to learn more about some of the most frequently spotted instruments in each family.
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Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;
Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..
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