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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