PragueBuzz!

Most people will know Antonin Dvorak, one of a few legendary classical composers. But probably few have heard of Smetana, another famous Czech composer during the Romantic period.

Smetana composed many musical pieces with Czech themes and elements. His patriotism was clearly demonstrated in “My country/Ma vlast” album, in which he named each song after a place or historical figure in the Czech Republic.

• Vyšehrad is a castle in Prague, the seat of early Czech kingdom.
• Sarka is an Amazon warrior from ancient Czech legend.
• From Bohemian Meadows and Forests (translation): portrayal of Czech countryside
• Tabor is a Hussite-found city during the Hussite War
• Blanik is a Czech mountain.

The last song is Vltava, a beautiful, musical poem, Smetana’s most famous tune, is the river (not so beautiful) running through Prague, below Charles Bridge. Take a romantic troll along Charles Bridge, behold the river and replay Smetana’s Vltava melodies in your heart. If you’re really lucky, you might be able to hear some violinist strumming this wonderful melody. (Never happened to me.)

A friend said that if you pay close attention and listen very carefully at the beginning of Vltava, you’ll hear the melody which resembles the sound of Vltava River flowing from a spring in the mountain. The music, later, changes in tempo and volume reflecting the river’s power and force when it reaches the lowlands.

Tags: Czech, Prague, PragueBuzz, Classical Music, Bedrich Smetana, Vlatava