text: bedřich smetana bedřich smetana ( czech pronunciation : [ ̝ ] ; 2 march 1824 – 12 may 1884 ) was a czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country 's aspirations to independent statehood . he is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of czech music . internationally he is best known for his opera the bartered bride and for the symphonic cycle má vlast ( " my homeland " ) , which portrays the history , legends and landscape of the composer 's native land . smetana was naturally gifted as a pianist , and gave his first public performance at the age of six . after his conventional schooling , he studied music under josef proksch in prague . his first nationalistic music was written during the 1848 prague uprising , in which he briefly participated . after failing to establish his career in prague , he left for sweden , where he set up as a teacher and choirmaster in gothenburg , and began to write large - scale orchestral works . during this period of his life smetana was twice married ; of six daughters , three died in infancy . in the early 1860s , a more liberal political climate in bohemia encouraged smetana to return permanently to prague . he threw himself into the musical life of the city , primarily as a champion of the new genre of czech opera . in 1866 his first two operas , the brandenburgers in bohemia and the bartered bride , were premiered at prague 's new provisional theatre , the latter achieving great popularity . in that same year , smetana became the theatre 's principal conductor , but the years of his conductorship were marked by controversy . factions within the city 's musical establishment considered his identification with the progressive ideas of franz liszt and richard wagner inimical to the development of a distinctively czech opera style . this opposition interfered with his creative work , and may have hastened the health breakdown that precipitated his resignation from the theatre in 1874 . by the end of 1874 , smetana had become completely deaf but , freed from his theatre duties and the related controversies , he began a period of sustained composition that continued for almost the rest of his life . his contributions to czech music were increasingly recognised and honoured , but a mental collapse early in 1884 led to his incarceration in an asylum and his subsequent death . smetana 's reputation as the founding father of czech music has endured in his native country , where advocates have raised his status above that of his contemporaries and successors . however , relatively few of smetana 's works are in the international repertory , and most foreign commentators tend to regard antonín dvořák as a more significant czech composer . biography family background and childhood bedřich smetana was born as friedrich smetana on 2 march 1824 , in litomyšl , east of prague near the traditional border between bohemia and moravia , then provinces of the habsburg empire . he was the third child , and first son , of františek smetana and his third wife barbora . františek had fathered eight children in two earlier marriages , five daughters surviving infancy ; he and barbora had ten more children , of whom seven reached adulthood . at this time , under habsburg rule , german was the official language of bohemia . františek knew czech , but for business and social reasons rarely used it , and his children were ignorant of the correct literary czech until much later in their lives . the smetana family came from the hradec králové region of bohemia . františek had initially learned the trade of a brewer , and had acquired moderate wealth during the napoleonic wars by supplying clothing and provisions to the french army . he subsequently managed several breweries before coming to litomyšl in 1823 as brewer to count waldstein , whose renaissance castle dominates the town . the elder smetana , although uneducated , had a natural gift for music and played in a string quartet . bedřich was introduced to music by his father and in october 1830 , at the age of six , gave his first public performance . at a concert held in litomyšl 's philosophical academy he played a piano arrangement of auber 's overture to la muette de portici , to a rapturous reception . in 1831 the family moved to hradec in the south of bohemia – the region where , a generation later , gustav mahler grew up . here , smetana attended the local elementary school and later the gymnasium . he also studied violin and piano , discovering the works of mozart and beethoven , and began composing simple pieces , of which one , a dance ( , or " little galop " ) , survives in sketch form . in 1835 , františek retired to a farm in the south - eastern region of bohemia . there being no suitable local school , smetana was sent to the gymnasium at jihlava , where he was homesick and unable to study . he then transferred to the premonstratensian school at brod , where he was happier and made good progress . among the friends he made here was the future czech revolutionary poet karel havlíček , whose departure for prague in 1838 may have influenced smetana 's own desire to experience life in the capital . the following year , with františek 's approval , he enrolled at prague 's academic grammar school under josef jungmann , a distinguished poet and linguist who was a leading figure in the movement for czech national revival . apprentice musician first steps smetana arrived in prague in the autumn of 1839 . finding jungmann 's school uncongenial ( he was mocked by his classmates for his country manners ) , he soon began missing classes . he attended concerts , visited the opera , listened to military bands and joined an amateur string quartet for whom he composed simple pieces . after liszt gave a series of piano recitals in the city , smetana became convinced that he would find satisfaction only in a musical career . he confided to his journal that he wanted " to become a mozart in composition and a liszt in technique " . however , the prague idyll ended when františek discovered his son 's truancy , and removed him from the city . františek at this time saw music as a diverting pastime , not as a career choice . smetana was placed temporarily with his uncle in nové , where he enjoyed a brief romance with his cousin louisa . he commemorated their passion in louisa 's polka , smetana 's earliest complete composition that has survived . an older cousin , josef smetana , a teacher at the premonstratensian school in plzeň ( pilsen ) , then offered to supervise the boy 's remaining schooling , and in the summer of 1840 smetana departed for plzeň . he remained there until he completed his schooling in 1843 . his skills as a pianist were in great demand at the town 's many soirées , and he enjoyed a hectic social life . this included a number of romances , the most important of which was with kateřina , whom he had known briefly in his early childhood . smetana was entirely captivated with her , writing in his journal : " when i am not with her i am sitting on hot coals and have no peace " . he composed several pieces for her , among which are two , a song duet , and an incomplete piano study for the left hand . he also composed his first orchestral piece , a b - flat minuet . student and teacher by the time smetana completed his schooling , his father 's fortunes had declined . although františek now agreed that his son should follow a musical career , he could not provide financial support . in august 1843 smetana departed for prague with twenty gulden , and no immediate prospects . lacking any formal musical training , he needed a teacher , and was introduced by kateřina 's mother to josef proksch , head of the prague music institute – where kateřina was now studying . proksch used the most modern teaching methods , drawing on beethoven , chopin , berlioz and the leipzig circle of liszt . in january 1844 proksch agreed to take smetana as a pupil , and at the same time the young musician 's financial difficulties were eased when he secured an appointment as music teacher to the family of a nobleman , count thun . for the next three years , besides teaching piano to the thun children , smetana studied theory and composition under proksch . the works he composed in these years include songs , dances , bagatelles , impromptus and the g minor piano sonata . in 1846 smetana attended concerts given in prague by berlioz , and in all likelihood met the french composer at a reception arranged by proksch . at the home of count thun he met robert and clara schumann , and showed them his g minor sonata , but failed to win their approval for this work — they detected too much of berlioz in it . meanwhile , his friendship with kateřina blossomed . in june 1847 , on resigning his position in the thun household , smetana recommended her as his replacement . he then set out on a tour of western bohemia , hoping to establish a reputation as a concert pianist . early career revolutionary smetana 's concert tour to western bohemia was poorly supported , so he abandoned it and returned to prague , where he made a living from private pupils and occasional appearances as an accompanist in chamber concerts . he also began work on his first major orchestral work , the overture in d major . for a brief period in 1848 , smetana was a revolutionary . in the climate of political change and upheaval that swept through europe in that year , a pro - democracy movement in prague led by smetana 's old friend karel havlíček was urging an end to habsburg absolutist rule and for more political autonomy . a citizens ' army ( " svornost " ) was formed to defend the city against possible attack . smetana wrote a series of patriotic works , including two marches dedicated respectively to the czech national guard and the students ' legion of the university of prague , and the song of freedom to words by ján . in june 1848 , as the habsburg armies moved to suppress rebellious tendencies , prague came under attack from the austrian forces led by the prince of windisch - grätz . as a member of svornost , smetana helped to man the barricades on the charles bridge . the nascent uprising was quickly crushed , but smetana avoided the imprisonment or exile received by leaders such as havlíček . during his brief spell with svornost , he met the writer and leading radical , karel sabina , who would later provide libretti for smetana 's first two operas . piano institute early in 1848 , smetana wrote to franz liszt , whom he had not yet met , asking him to accept the dedication of a new piano work , six characteristic pieces , and recommend it to a publisher . he also requested a loan of 400 gulden , to enable him to open a music school . liszt replied cordially , accepting the dedication and promising to help find a publisher , but he offered no financial assistance . this encouragement was the beginning of a friendship that was of great value to smetana in his subsequent career . despite liszt 's lack of financial support , smetana was able to start a piano institute in late august 1848 , with twelve students . after a period of struggle the institute began to flourish and became briefly fashionable , particularly among supporters of czech nationalism in whose eyes smetana was developing a reputation . proksch wrote of smetana 's support for his people 's cause , and said that he " could well become the transformer of my ideas in the czech language . " in 1849 the institute was relocated to the home of kateřina 's parents , and began to attract distinguished visitors ; liszt came regularly , and the former austrian emperor ferdinand , who had settled in prague , attended the school 's matinée concerts . smetana 's performances in these concerts became a recognised feature of prague 's musical life . in this time of relative financial stability smetana married kateřina , on 27 august 1849 . four daughters were born to the couple between 1851 and 1855 . budding composer in 1850 , notwithstanding his revolutionary sentiments , smetana accepted the post of court pianist in ferdinand 's establishment in prague castle . he continued teaching in the piano institute , and devoted himself increasingly to composition . his works , mainly for the piano , included the three - part wedding scenes , some of the music of which was later used in the bartered bride . he also wrote numerous short experimental pieces collected under the name album leaves , and a series of polkas . during 1853 – 54 he worked on a major orchestral piece , the triumphal symphony , composed to commemorate the wedding of emperor franz joseph . the symphony was rejected by the imperial court , possibly on the grounds that the brief musical references to the austrian national anthem were not sufficiently prominent . undeterred , smetana hired an orchestra at his own expense to perform the symphony at the hall in prague on 26 february 1855 . the work was coolly received , and the concert was a financial failure . private sorrows and professional disenchantment in the years between 1854 and 1856 smetana suffered a series of personal blows . in july 1854 his second daughter , gabriela , died of tuberculosis . a year later his eldest daughter bedřiška , who at the age of four was showing signs of musical precocity , died of scarlet fever . smetana wrote his piano trio in g minor as a tribute to her memory ; it was performed in prague on 3 december 1855 and , according to the composer , was received " harshly " by the critics , although liszt praised it . smetana 's sorrows continued ; just after bedřiška 's death a fourth daughter , kateřina , had been born but she , too , died in june 1856 . by this time smetana 's wife kateřina had also been diagnosed with tuberculosis . in july 1856 , smetana received news of the death in exile of his revolutionary friend karel havlíček . the political climate in prague was a further source of gloom ; hopes of a more enlightened government and social reform following franz joseph 's accession in 1848 had faded as austrian absolutism reasserted itself under baron alexander von bach . despite the good name of the piano institute , smetana 's status as a concert pianist was generally considered to be below that of contemporaries such as alexander dreyschock . critics acknowledged smetana 's " delicate , crystalline touch " , closer in style to chopin than liszt , but believed that his physical frailty was a serious drawback to his concert - playing ambitions . his main performance success during this period was his playing of mozart 's d minor piano concerto at a concert celebrating the centenary of mozart 's birth , in january 1856 . his disenchantment with prague was growing and , perhaps influenced by dreyschock 's accounts of opportunities to be found in sweden , smetana decided to seek success there . on 11 october 1856 , after writing to his parents that " prague did not wish to acknowledge me , so i left it " , he departed for gothenburg . years of travel gothenburg smetana initially went to gothenburg without kateřina . writing to liszt , he said that the people there were musically unsophisticated , but he saw this as an opportunity " ... for an impact i could never have achieved in prague . " within a few weeks of his arrival , he had given his first recital , opened a music school that was rapidly overwhelmed by applications , and become conductor of the gothenburg society for classical choral music . in a few months smetana had achieved both professional and social recognition in the city , although he found little time for composition ; two intended orchestral works , provisionally entitled frithjof and the viking 's voyage , were sketched but abandoned . in summer 1857 , smetana came home to prague and found kateřina in failing health . in june , smetana 's father františek died . that autumn smetana returned to gothenburg , with kateřina and their surviving daughter žofie , but before doing so he visited liszt in weimar . the occasion was the karl august goethe - schiller jubilee celebrations ; smetana attended performances of liszt 's faust symphony and the symphonic poem die ideale , which invigorated and inspired him . liszt was smetana 's principal teacher throughout the latter 's creative life , and at this time was crucially able to revive his spirits and rescue him from the relative artistic isolation of gothenburg . back in sweden , smetana found among his new pupils a young housewife , benecke , who briefly became his muse and his mistress . in her honour smetana transcribed two songs from schubert 's die schöne cycle , and transformed one of his own early piano pieces into a polka entitled vision at the ball . he also began composing on a more expansive scale . in 1858 he completed the symphonic poem richard iii , his first major orchestral composition since the triumphal symphony . he followed this with wallenstein 's camp , inspired by friedrich schiller 's wallenstein drama trilogy , and began a third symphonic poem hakon jarl , based on the tragic drama by danish poet adam oehlenschläger . smetana also wrote two large - scale piano works : macbeth and the witches , and an étude in c in the style of liszt . bereavement , remarriage and return to prague kateřina 's health gradually worsened and in the spring of 1859 failed completely . homeward bound , she died at dresden on 19 april 1859 . smetana wrote that she had died " gently , without our knowing anything until the quiet drew my attention to her . " after placing žofie with kateřina 's mother , smetana spent time with liszt in weimar , where he was introduced to the music of the comic opera der barbier von bagdad , by liszt 's pupil peter cornelius . this work would influence smetana 's own later career as an opera composer . later that year he stayed with his younger brother karel , and fell in love with karel 's sister - in - law barbora ( bettina ) , sixteen years his junior . he proposed marriage , and having secured her promise returned to gothenburg for the 1859 – 60 winter . the marriage took place the following year , on 10 july 1860 , after which smetana and his new wife returned to sweden for a final season . this culminated in april 1861 with a piano performance in stockholm , attended by the swedish royal family . the couple 's first daughter , zdeňka , was born in september 1861 . meanwhile , the defeat of franz joseph 's army at in 1859 had weakened the habsburg empire , and led to the fall from power of von bach . this had gradually brought a more enlightened atmosphere to prague , and by 1861 smetana was seeing prospects of a better future for czech nationalism and culture . before deciding his own future , in september smetana set out on a concert tour of the netherlands and germany . he was still hoping to secure a reputation as a pianist , but once again he experienced failure . back in prague , he conducted performances of richard iii and wallenstein 's camp in the island concert hall in january 1862 , to a muted reception . critics accused him of adhering too closely to the " new german " school represented primarily by liszt ; smetana responded that " a prophet is without honour in his own land . " in march 1862 he made a last brief visit to gothenburg , but the city no longer held his interest ; it appeared to him a provincial backwater and , whatever the difficulties , he now determined to seek his musical future in prague : " my home has rooted itself into my heart so much that only there do i find real contentment . it is to this that i will sacrifice myself . " national prominence seeking recognition in 1861 , it was announced that a provisional theatre would be built in prague , as a home for czech opera . smetana saw this as an opportunity to write and stage opera that would reflect czech national character , similar to the portrayals of russian life in mikhail glinka 's operas . he hoped that he might be considered for the theatre 's conductorship , but the post went to jan nepomuk maýr , apparently because the conservative faction in charge of the project considered smetana a " dangerous modernist " , in thrall to avant garde composers such as liszt and wagner . smetana then turned his attention to an opera competition , organised by count jan von harrach , which offered prizes of 600 gulden each for the best comic and historical operas based on czech culture . with no useful model on which to base his work — czech opera as a genre scarcely existed — smetana had to create his own style . he engaged karel sabina , his comrade from the 1848 barricades , as his librettist , and received sabina 's text in february 1862 , a story of the 13th century invasion of bohemia by otto of brandenburg . in april 1863 he submitted the score , under the title of the brandenburgers in bohemia . at this stage in his career , smetana 's command of the czech language was poor . his generation of czechs was educated in german , and he had difficulty expressing himself in what was supposedly his native tongue . to overcome these linguistic deficiencies he studied czech grammar , and made a point of writing and speaking in czech every day . he had become chorus master of the nationalistic hlahol choral society soon after his return from sweden , and as his fluency in the czech language developed he composed patriotic choruses for the society ; the three riders and the renegade were performed at concerts in early 1863 . in march of that year smetana was elected president of the music section of beseda , a society for czech artists . by 1864 he was proficient enough in the czech language to be appointed as music critic to the main czech language newspaper listy . meanwhile , bettina had given birth to another daughter , . on 23 april 1864 , smetana conducted berlioz 's choral symphony roméo et juliette at a concert celebrating the shakespeare tercentenary , adding to the programme his own march for the shakespearean festival . that year , smetana 's bid to become director of the prague conservatory failed . he had set high hopes on this appointment : " my friends are trying to persuade me that this post might have been especially created for me , " he wrote to a swedish friend . again his hopes were thwarted by his association with the perceived radical liszt , and the appointing committee chose the conservative patriot josef krejčí for the post . almost three years passed before smetana was declared the winner of harrach 's opera competition . before then , on 5 january 1866 , the brandenburgers had been performed to an enthusiastic reception at the provisional theatre — over strong opposition from maýr , who had refused to rehearse or conduct the piece . the idiom was too advanced for maýr 's liking , and the opera was eventually staged under the composer 's own direction . " i was called on stage nine times , " smetana wrote , recording that the house was sold out and that the critics were full of praise . music historian rosa newmarch believes that , although the brandenburgers has not stood the test of time , it contains all the germs of smetana 's operatic art . opera maestro in july 1863 , sabina had delivered the libretto for a second opera , a light comedy entitled the bartered bride , which smetana composed during the next three years . because of the success of the brandenburgers , the management of the provisional theatre readily agreed to stage the new opera , which was premiered on 30 may 1866 in its original two - act version with spoken dialogue . the opera went through several revisions and restructures before reaching the definitive three - act form that in due course established smetana 's international reputation . the opera 's first performance was a failure ; it was held on one of the hottest evenings of the year , on the eve of the austro - prussian war , with bohemia under imminent threat of invasion by prussian troops . unsurprisingly the occasion was poorly attended , and receipts failed to cover costs . when presented at the provisional theatre in its final form , in september 1870 , it was a tremendous public success . back in 1866 , as the composer of the brandenburgers with its overtones of german military aggression , smetana thought he might be targeted by the invading prussians , so he absented himself from prague until hostilities ceased . he returned in september , and almost immediately achieved a long - standing ambition – appointment as principal conductor of the provisional theatre , at an annual salary of 1 , 200 gulden . in the absence of a body of suitable czech opera , smetana in his first season presented standard works by weber , mozart , donizetti , rossini and glinka , with a revival of his own bartered bride . the quality of smetana 's production of glinka 's a life for the tsar angered glinka 's champion mily balakirev , who expressed himself forcefully . this caused prolonged hostility between the two men . on 16 may 1868 smetana , representing czech musicians , helped to lay the foundation stone for the future national theatre ; he had written a festive overture for the occasion . that same evening smetana 's third opera , dalibor , was premièred at prague 's new town theatre . although its initial reception was warm its reviews were poor , and smetana resigned himself to its failure . opposition early in his provisional theatre conductorship smetana had made a powerful enemy in františek pivoda , the director of the prague school of singing . formerly a supporter of smetana 's , pivoda was aggrieved when the conductor recruited singing talent from abroad rather than from pivoda 's school . in an increasingly bitter public correspondence , pivoda claimed that smetana was using his position to further his own career , at the expense of other composers . pivoda then took issue with dalibor , calling it an example of extreme " wagnerism " and thus , unsuited as a model for czech national opera . " wagnerism " meant the adoption of wagner 's theories of a continuous role for the orchestra and the building of an integrated musical drama , rather than a stringing together of lyrical numbers . the provisional theatre 's chairman , františek rieger , had first accused smetana of tendencies after the first performance of the brandenburgers , and the issue eventually divided prague 's musical society . the music critic otakar believed that wagner 's theories should be the basis of the national opera , and argued that dalibor was the beginning of the " correct " direction . the opposite camp , led by pivoda , supported the principles of italian opera , in which the voice rather than the orchestra was the predominant dramatic device . even within the theatre itself there was division . rieger led a campaign to eject smetana from the conductorship and reappoint maýr , and in december 1872 a petition signed by 86 subscribers to the theatre called for smetana 's resignation . strong support from vice - chairman antonín , and an ultimatum from prominent musicians among whom was antonín dvořák , ensured smetana 's survival . in january 1873 he was reappointed , with a bigger salary and increased responsibility as artistic director . smetana gradually brought more operas by emergent czech composers to the theatre , but little of his own work . by 1872 he had completed his monumental fourth opera , libuše , his most ambitious work to date , but was withholding its premiere for the future opening of the forthcoming national theatre . the machinations of pivoda and his supporters distracted smetana from composition , and he had further vexation when the bartered bride was produced in saint petersburg , in january 1871 . although the audience was enthusiastic , press reports were hostile , one describing the work as " no better than that of a gifted fourteen - year - old boy . " smetana was deeply offended , and blamed his old adversary , balakirev , for inciting negative feelings against the opera . final decade in the respite following his reappointment , smetana concentrated on his fifth opera , the two widows , composed between june 1873 and january 1874 . after its first performance at the provisional theatre on 27 march 1874 , smetana 's supporters presented him with a decorative baton . but his opponents continued to attack him , comparing his conductorship unfavourably with the maýr regime and claiming that under smetana " czech opera sickens to death at least once annually . " by the summer smetana was ill ; a throat infection was followed by a rash and an apparent blockage to the ears . by mid - august , unable to work , he transferred his duties to his deputy , adolf čech . a press announcement stated that smetana had " become ill as a result of nervous strain caused by certain people recently . " in september , smetana told the theatre he would resign his appointment unless his health improved . he had become totally deaf in his right ear , and in october lost all hearing in his left ear also . after his subsequent resignation the theatre offered him an annual pension of 1 , 200 gulden for the continued right to perform his operas , an arrangement smetana reluctantly accepted . money raised in prague by former students , and by former lover benecke in gothenburg , amounted to 1 , 244 gulden . this allowed smetana to seek medical treatment abroad , but to no avail . in january 1875 smetana wrote in his journal : " if my disease is incurable , then i should prefer to be liberated from this life . " his spirits were further lowered at this time by a deterioration in his relationship with bettina , mainly over money matters . " i cannot live under the same roof as a person who hates and me " , smetana informed her . although divorce was considered , the couple stayed unhappily together . late flowering in worsening health , smetana continued to compose . in june 1876 he , bettina and their two daughters left prague for , the home of his eldest daughter žofie where , in tranquil surroundings , smetana was able to work undisturbed . before leaving prague he had begun a cycle of six symphonic poems , called má vlast ( " my fatherland " ) , and had completed the first two , vyšehrad and vltava , which had both been performed in prague during 1875 . in smetana composed four more movements , the complete cycle being first performed on 5 november 1882 under the baton of adolf čech . other major works composed in these years were the e minor string quartet , from my life , a series of czech dances for piano , several choral pieces and three more operas : the kiss , the secret and the devil 's wall , all of which received their first performances between 1876 and 1882 . the long - delayed premiere of smetana 's opera libuše finally arrived when the national theatre opened on 11 june 1881 . he had not initially been given tickets , but at the last minute was asked into the theatre director 's box . the audience received the work enthusiastically , and smetana was called to the stage repeatedly . shortly after this event the new theatre was destroyed by fire ; despite his infirmities , smetana helped to raise funds for the rebuilding . the restored theatre reopened on 18 november 1883 , again with libuše these years saw smetana 's growing recognition as the principal exponent of czech national music . this status was celebrated by several events during smetana 's final years . on 4 january 1880 , a special concert in prague marked the 50th anniversary of his first public performance ; smetana attended , and played his piano trio in g minor from 1855 . in may 1882 the bartered bride was given its 100th performance , an unprecedented event in the history of czech opera . it was so popular that a repeat " 100th performance " was staged . a gala concert and banquet was arranged to honour smetana 's 60th birthday in march 1884 , but he was too ill to attend . illness and death in 1879 , smetana had written to a friend , the czech poet jan neruda , revealing fears of the onset of madness . by the winter of 1882 – 83 he was experiencing depression , insomnia , and hallucinations , together with giddiness , cramp and a temporary loss of speech . in 1883 he began writing a new symphonic suite , prague carnival , but could get no further than an introduction and a polonaise . he started a new opera , viola , based on the character in shakespeare 's twelfth night , but wrote only fragments as his mental state gradually deteriorated . in october 1883 his behaviour at a private reception in prague disturbed his friends ; by the middle of february 1884 he had ceased to be coherent , and was periodically violent . on 23 april his family , unable to nurse him any longer , removed him to the lunatic asylum in prague , where he died on 12 may 1884 . the hospital registered the cause of death as senile dementia . however , smetana 's family believed that his physical and mental decline was due to syphilis . an analysis of the autopsy report , published by the german neurologist dr ernst levin in 1972 , came to the same conclusion . tests carried out by prof. emanuel in the late 20th century on samples of muscular tissue from smetana 's exhumed body provided further evidence of the disease . however , this research has been challenged by czech physician dr jiří ramba , who has argued that 's tests do not provide a basis for a reliable conclusion , citing the age and state of the tissues and highlighting reported symptoms of smetana 's that were incompatible with syphilis . smetana 's funeral took place on 15 may , at the church in prague 's old town . the subsequent procession to the vyšehrad cemetery was led by members of the hlahol , bearing torches , and was followed by a large crowd . the grave later became a place of pilgrimage for musical visitors to prague . on the funeral evening , a scheduled performance of the bartered bride at the national theatre was allowed to proceed , the stage draped with black cloth as a mark of respect . smetana was survived by bettina , their daughters zdeňka and , and by žofie . none of them played any significant role in smetana 's musical life . bettina lived until 1908 ; žofie , who had married josef schwarz in 1874 , predeceased her stepmother , dying in 1902 . the younger daughters eventually married , living out their lives away from the public eye . a permanent memorial to smetana 's life and work is the bedřich smetana museum in prague , originally founded in 1926 within the charles university 's institute for musicology . in 1936 the museum moved to the former waterworks building on the banks of the vltava , and since 1976 has been part of the czech museum of music . music the basic materials from which smetana fashioned his art , according to newmarch , were nationalism , realism and romanticism . a particular feature of all his later music is its descriptive character – all his major compositions outside his operas are written to programmes , and many are specifically autobiographical . smetana 's champions have recognised the major influences on his work as liszt , wagner and berlioz – the " progressives " – while those same advocates have often played down the significance of " traditionalist " composers such as rossini , donizetti , verdi and meyerbeer . piano works all but a handful of smetana 's compositions before his departure for gothenburg had been piano works . some of these early pieces have been dismissed by music historian harold schonberg as " bombastic virtuoso rhetoric derived from liszt " . under proksch , however , smetana acquired more polish , as revealed in works such as the g minor sonata of 1846 and the e - flat polka of the same year . the set of six characteristic pieces of 1848 was dedicated to liszt , who described it as " the most outstanding , finely felt and finely finished pieces that have recently come to my note . " in this period smetana planned a cycle of so - called " album leaves " , short pieces in every major and minor key , after the manner of chopin 's preludes . the project became somewhat disorganised ; in the pieces completed , some keys are repeated while others are unrepresented . after smetana 's final return from gothenburg , when he committed himself primarily to the development of czech opera , he wrote nothing for the piano for 13 years . in his last decade smetana composed three substantial piano cycles . the first , from 1875 , was entitled dreams . it was dedicated to former pupils of smetana 's , who had raised funds to cover medical expenses , and is also a tribute to the composer 's models of the 1840s — schumann , chopin and liszt . smetana 's last major piano works were the two czech dances cycles of 1877 and 1879 . the first of these had the purpose , as smetana explained to his publisher , of " idealising the polka , as chopin in his day did with the mazurka . " the second cycle is a medley of dances , each given a specific title so that people would know " ... which dances with real names we czechs have . " vocal and choral smetana 's early songs are settings of german poems for single voice . apart from his 1848 song of freedom , he did not begin to write pieces for a full choir until after his gothenburg sojourn , when he composed numerous works for the hlahol choral society , mostly for unaccompanied male voices . smetana 's choral music is generally nationalistic in character , ranging in scale from the short ceremonial chorus written after the death of the composer 's revolutionary friend havlíček , to the setting of song of the sea , a substantial work with the character of a choral drama . towards the end of his life smetana returned to simple song - writing , with five evening songs ( 1879 ) to words by the poet vítězslav . his final completed work , our song ( 1883 ) , is the last of four settings of texts by josef srb - . despite the state of smetana 's health , this is a happy celebration of czech song and dance . the piece was lost for many years , and only received its first performance after rediscovery in 1924 . chamber apart from a juvenile fantasia for violin and piano , smetana composed only four chamber works , yet each had a deep personal significance . the piano trio in g minor of 1855 was composed after the death of his daughter bedřiška ; its style is close to that of robert schumann , with hints of liszt , and the overall tone is elegiac . it was 20 years before he returned to the chamber genre with his first string quartet . this e minor work , subtitled from my life , was autobiographical in character , illustrating the composer 's youthful enthusiasm for his art , his friendships and loves and , in a change of mood , the onset of his deafness represented by a long harmonic e in the final movement above ominous string tremolos . his second string quartet , in d minor , written in 1882 – 83 in defiance of his doctor 's orders to refrain from all musical activity , was composed in short snatches , " a swirl of music of a person who has lost his hearing . " it represents smetana 's frustrations with his life , but is not wholly gloomy , and includes a bright polka . it was one of his final compositions ; between the two quartets he wrote a violin and piano duet from the homeland , a mixture of melancholy and happiness with strong affinity to czech folk material . orchestral dissatisfied with his first large - scale orchestral work , the d major overture of 1848 , smetana studied passages from beethoven , mendelssohn , weber and berlioz before producing his triumphal symphony of 1853 . though this is dismissed by rosa newmarch as " an epithalamium for a habsburg prince " , smetana 's biographer brian large identifies much in the piece that characterises the composer 's more mature works . despite the symphony 's rejection by the court and the lukewarm reception on its premiere , smetana did not abandon the work . it was well received in gothenburg in 1860 , and a revised version was performed in prague in 1882 , without the " triumphal " tag , under adolf čech . the piece is now sometimes called the festive symphony . smetana 's visit to liszt at weimar in the summer of 1857 , where he heard the latter 's faust symphony and die ideale , caused a material reorientation of smetana 's orchestral music . these works gave smetana answers to many compositional problems relating to the structure of orchestral music , and suggested a means for expressing literary subjects by a synthesis between music and text , rather than by simple musical illustration . these insights enabled smetana to write the three gothenburg symphonic poems , ( richard iii , wallenstein 's camp and hakon jarl ) , works that transformed smetana from a composer primarily of salon pieces to a modern neo - romantic , capable of handling large - scale forces and demonstrating the latest musical concepts . from 1862 smetana was largely occupied with opera and , apart from a few short pieces , did not return to purely orchestral music before beginning má vlast in 1872 . in his introduction to the collected edition score , františek bartol brackets má vlast with the opera libuše as " direct symbols of [ the ] consummating national struggle " . má vlast is the first of smetana 's mature large - scale works that is independent of words , and its musical ideas are bolder than anything he had tried before . to musicologist john clapham , the cycle presents " a cross - section of czech history and legend and impressions of its scenery , and ... conveys vividly to us smetana 's view of the ethos and greatness of the nation . " despite its nationalistic associations this work has , according to newmarch , carried smetana 's name further afield than anything he wrote , with the exception of the bartered bride overture . smetana dedicated má vlast to the city of prague ; after its first performance in november 1882 it was acclaimed by the czech musical public as the true representation of czech national style . its vltava ( or " the " in german ) movement , depicting the river that runs through prague towards its junction with the elbe , is smetana 's best - known and most internationally popular orchestral composition . opera smetana had virtually no precursors in czech opera apart from františek , whose works had rarely lasted beyond one or two performances . in his mission to create a new canon , rather than using traditional folksong smetana turned to the popular dance music of his youth , especially the polka , to establish his link with the vernacular . he drew on existing european traditions , notably slavonic and french , but made only scarce use of arias , preferring to base his scores on ensembles and choruses . although a follower of wagner 's reforms of the operatic genre , which he believed would be its salvation , smetana rejected accusations of excessive wagnerism , claiming that he was sufficiently occupied with " , for that is the only honest style ! " the predominantly " national " character of the first four operas is tempered by the lyrical romanticism of those written later , particularly the last three , composed in the years of smetana 's deafness . the first of this final trio , the kiss , written when smetana was receiving painful medical treatment , is described by newmarch as a work of serene beauty , in which tears and smiles alternate throughout the score . smetana 's librettist for " the kiss " was the young feminist , who also supplied the texts for his final two operas . she dominated the ailing composer , who had no say in the subject - matter , the voice types or the balance between solos , duets and ensembles . nevertheless , critics have noted few signs of a decline in smetana 's powers in these works , while his increasing proficiency in the czech language meant that his settings of the language are much superior to those of his earlier operas . smetana 's eight operas created the bedrock of the czech opera repertory , but of these only the bartered bride is performed regularly outside the composer 's homeland . after reaching vienna in 1892 , and london in 1895 , it rapidly became part of the repertory of every major opera company worldwide . newmarch argues that the bartered bride , while not a " gem of the first order " , is nevertheless " a perfectly cut and polished stone of its kind . " its trademark overture , which newmarch says " lifts us off our feet with its madcap vivacity " , was composed in a piano version before smetana received the draft libretto . clapham believes that this has few precedents in the entire history of opera . smetana himself was later inclined to disparage his achievement : " the bartered bride was merely child 's play , written straight off the reel " . in the view of german critic william ritter , smetana 's creative powers reached their zenith with his third opera , dalibor . reception even in his own homeland the general public was slow to recognise smetana . as a young composer and pianist he was well regarded in prague musical circles , and had the approval of liszt , proksch and others , but the public 's lack of acknowledgement was a principal factor behind his self - imposed exile in sweden . after his return he was not taken particularly seriously , and was hard put to get audiences for his new works , hence his " prophet without honour " remark after the nearly empty hall and indifferent reception of richard iii and wallenstein 's camp at island in january 1862 . smetana 's first noteworthy public success was his initial opera the brandenburgers in bohemia , in 1866 when he was already 42 years old . his second opera , the bartered bride , survived the unfortunate mistiming of its opening night and became an enduring popular triumph . the different style of his third opera , dalibor , closer to that of wagnerian music drama , was not readily understood by the public and was condemned by critics who believed that czech opera should be based on folk - song . it disappeared from the repertory after only a handful of performances . thereafter the machinations that accompanied smetana 's tenure as provisional theatre conductor restricted his creative output until 1874 . in his final decade , the most fruitful of his compositional career despite his deafness and increasing ill - health , smetana belatedly received national recognition . of his later operas , the two widows and the secret were warmly received , while the kiss was greeted by an " overwhelming ovation " . the ceremonial opera libuše was received with thunderous applause for the composer ; by this time ( 1881 ) the disputes around his music had declined , and the public was ready to honour him as the founder of czech music . nevertheless , the first few performances in october 1882 of an evidently under - rehearsed the devil 's wall were chaotic , and the composer was left feeling " dishonoured and dispirited . " this disappointment was swiftly mitigated by the acclaim that followed the first performance of the complete má vlast cycle in november : " everyone rose to his feet and the same storm of unending applause was repeated after each of the six parts ... at the end of [ the final part ] the audience was beside itself and the people could not bring themselves to take leave of the composer . " character and reputation smetana 's biographers describe him as physically frail and unimpressive in appearance yet , at least in his youth , he had a joie - de - vivre that women evidently found attractive . he was also excitable , passionate and strong - willed , determined to make his career in music whatever the hardships , over the wishes of his father who wanted him to become a brewer or a civil servant . throughout his career he stood his ground ; when under the severest of criticism for the " wagnerism " in dalibor he responded by writing libuše , even more firmly based on the scale and concept of wagnerian music drama . his personal life became stressful ; his marriage to bettina was loveless , and effectively broke down altogether in the years of illness and relative poverty towards the end of his life . little of his relationships with his children is on record , although on the day that he was transferred to the asylum , žofie was " crying as though her heart would break " . there is broad agreement among most commentators that smetana created a canon of czech opera where none had previously existed , and that he developed a style of music in all his compositions that equated with the emergent czech national spirit . a modified view is presented by the music writer michael steen , who questions whether " nationalistic music " can in fact exist : " we should recognise that , whereas music is infinitely expressive , on its own it is not good at describing concrete , earthly objects or concepts . " he concludes that much is dependent upon what listeners are conditioned to hear . according to the musicologist john tyrrell , smetana 's close identification with czech nationalism and the tragic circumstances of his last years , have affected the objectivity of assessments of his work , particularly in his native land . tyrrell argues that the almost iconic status awarded to smetana in his homeland " him into a figure where any criticism of his life or work was discouraged " by the czech authorities , even as late as the last part of the 20th century . as a result , tyrrell claims , a view of czech music has been propagated that downplays the contributions of contemporaries and successors such as dvořák , janáček , josef suk and other , lesser known , composers . this is at odds with perceptions in the outside world , where dvořák is far more frequently played and much better known . harold schonberg observes that " smetana was the one who founded czech music , but antonín dvořák ... was the one who popularized it . 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