Smetana, Friedrich: Vltava

“Vltava” (The Moldau), the second part of the cycle of symphonic poems “Má vlast” (My Country), is considered an icon of Czech music worldwide. At 50 years of age Smetana, who was in a state of complete deafness, composed it in just 19 days and completed it on 8 December 1874; he was never able to hear this or any other part of the “My Country” cycle. “My highly esteemed friend, even in the tribulations of your physical suffering, may you retain that noble, inner sense of satisfaction from having performed great artistic work to the honour of the Czech lands. The name of Bedrich Smetana will remain forever written in your homeland. Your works have ensured it irreversibly.” (Franz Liszt in a letter dated 5 May 1880 to Bedrich Smetana) The autograph of “Vltava” bears witness to the composer's extraordinary musical imagination. Apart from five short motivic sketches on a single sheet, no other sketches have survived. It is highly probable that Smetana wrote “Vltava” directly into the score. He was most concerned that his notation should be error-free and unambiguous. Thus in the autograph, which was meticulously written in violet ink, there are no traces of a creative struggle for the final form of the work; there are no deletions or conspicuous corrections. If the composer subsequently saw the need for a change, he erased the original version so thoroughly that misinterpretations of the notation could be ruled out. The unusually large number of dynamic and performance markings as well as verbal comments also testify to Smetana's endeavour to write down his musical ideas in every detail in an unmistakable manner – a remarkable autograph, not least in this respect.