Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)

Bedrich Smetana was born in Bohemia in 1824. As a young boy he studied violin and piano and was also a member of an amateur string quartet. He went on to study music in Prague and eventually became music master to a noble family. In 1848 he founded his own music school in Prague. Seven years of his career were spent living in Sweden conducting, teaching and giving recitals but in 1863 he returned to Prague to open a new school of music.

Smetana wrote operas and symphonic poems inspired by his homeland and its traditional stories. His dramatic style came to embody Czech music. His works greatly influenced later composers, especially Dvorak.

Smetana’s personal life was marked by tragedy. His first wife and three of his four daughters died in childhood. His Piano Trio in G minor was written shortly after and is thought to reflect his sadness and despair. By 1874 Smetana had become deaf as a result of a syphilitic infection. Nevertheless he continued with his composition, completing his famous Ma vlast which he dedicated to the city of Prague.

Tinnitus continued to plague the composer and his mental health declined. In 1883 he was admitted to a mental asylum. He died a year later.