=The Influence of Folk-Music=.—Some races are endowed with a better
musical taste than others. Among these favored peoples the Folk-song,
the music that appeals directly to the popular heart, needs only the
touch of a gifted composer to fashion it into a great national school.
In the case of England and Belgium, we have seen that even the most
thorough musical education cannot wholly atone for a lack of real
public taste in music. Scotland, possessing a wealth of beautiful
Folk-songs, has not yet given birth to a composer who can employ its
style in larger forms. But in Bohemia and the countries of Northern
Europe, the Folk-music has not only been worthy in itself, but has been
properly developed and amplified by gifted composers.
=Smetana=.—František Škroup (1801-1862) composed many popular Bohemian
_Volkslieder_, and wrote the first national opera, but the real founder
of the Bohemian school was Bedřich, or Frederick, Smetana (Leito
mischl, Bohemia, 1824—Prague, 1884). Parental opposition could not
prevent his studying music, and we find him at Prague, under Proksh,
and, later on, taking lessons of Schumann. That master recommended a
course with Mendelssohn, but as the pupil was too poor, he changed his
advice and suggested a study of Bach. Smetana became an ardent admirer
of Liszt, at whose house his own career was decided. Hearing Herbeck
remark, while there, that the Czechs were merely reproductive, he made
a solemn resolution to devote his life to the building up of a national
school of music in Bohemia.
=His Works=.—While conductor at Gothenburg, Sweden, he produced three
worthy symphonic poems: “Richard III,” “Wallenstein’s Camp,” and “Hakon
Jarl.” On his return, he wrote “The Brandenburgers in Bohemia,” the
first of the eight operas that have made him so famous in his native
land. This was Wagnerian in style, and at once the critics assailed him
fiercely for trying to bring Bohemia under the musical domination of
Germany. To show that he could write in a more popular vein, Smetana
produced a second opera, “Prodaná Nevĕsta,” (The Bartered Bride), which
proved a marvel of musical grace and delicacy, and was enough in itself
to establish the reputation of any composer. “Dalibor” is a dramatic
work in serious vein, while “Libuše” is based on a national subject.
“The Two Widows” and “The Kiss” are light operas of marked success,
the latter being often cited as a perfect model for this style. “The
Secret” is in the same vein, while “The Devil’s Wall” is again on a
national legend. Other notable works are the string quartet “Aus Meinem
Leben,” and the “Carnival of Prague”; but Smetana’s greatest orchestral
work is the set of six symphonic poems entitled “Ma Vlast” (My
Fatherland). These depict “Vyšehrad,” a historic fortress; “Vltava,”
the river Moldau; “Sarka,” a mythical Amazon; “Bohemia’s Groves and
Meadows,” “Tabor,” the Hussite camp; and “Blanik,” the magic mountain
where the warriors sleep. Smetana’s music shows an inspiration and
depth of feeling that make him rank with the world’s great composers,
and his struggles against poverty and disease form a story of the
utmost pathos.
=Dvořák=.—The greatest of Smetana’s pupils was =Antonin Dvořák=
(Mühlhausen, Bohemia, 1841—Prague, 1904). Son of a butcher, he
persuaded the village schoolmaster to give him lessons. He began
composition at Zlonitz, and soon sent home a polka to surprise his
family; and as he had written it without considering the transposing
instruments, thus causing three different keys to sound together,
the resulting discords certainly accomplished that purpose. After
further study at Prague, he was able to gain a Government pension,
and to interest such men as Hanslick and Brahms. He spent his time in
“hard study, occasional composition, much revision, a great deal of
thinking, and little eating.” Being asked what teacher helped him most,
he replied: “I studied with God, the birds, the trees, the rivers,
myself.”
[Illustration: ANTONIN DVOŘÁK. CHRISTIAN SINDING.