The Vltava

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Bedřich Smetana (1824–84)

Die Moldau (Czech Vltava ) T 111, JB 1: 112/2 is the second and most popular part from Mein Vaterland ( Má vlast ), a cycle of six symphonic poems by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana . The work was written in 1874 when Smetana was already completely deaf and was premiered on April 4, 1875 in Prague . The playing time is approx. 12 minutes.

Preliminary remark

Bedřich Smetana rightly claimed to be “the creator of the Czech style in the dramatic and symphonic realm of music”. His compatriots, on the other hand, considered him an anti-popular follower of Wagner and Liszt . During his lifetime he only found recognition with the opera The Bartered Bride ( Prodaná nevěsta) and the symphonic cycle Mein Vaterland .

The 19th century was the time of political reorganization after the Napoleonic wars, capitalism and industrialization . Above all, however, it was the incipient formation of nation states in Central and Eastern Europe that exerted an immense influence on musical culture and resulted in the emergence of independent national musical styles . Previously, different sections of the population were strictly separated from each other socially and culturally, but now they found themselves united under the postulate of citizenship and looked for an independent national expression. Folk song and folk dance , which enriched art music with folk and local color elements, served as sources of national identification . Often epic- mythical models as well as lyrical descriptions of nature found their way into the compositions of the 19th century. Music should not only strengthen the feeling of togetherness internally, but at the same time demonstrate a national identity externally. As a result, high- profile genres such as opera and symphony as well as programmatically charged symphonic poetry were at the center of musical interest.

During this time the so-called National Revival took place in Bohemia and Moravia . In the spirit of romanticism, Smetana gives musical expression to the nineteenth-century Czech national feeling with his symphonic cycle Mein Vaterland . He puts images of nature from his homeland into sounds, describes the Prague royal castle Vyšehrad , the Vltava river , the Amazon queen Šárka , the Hussite town of Tábor or the pilgrimage mountain Blaník . The Moldova, as the most popular part of the cycle, has now almost become a “substitute national anthem ”.

Vltava ( "Moldau"), by far the most well-known symphonic seal from the cycle Má vlast , strings Rondo like several episodes each other, the events are accurately indicated by the headings in the score. At the very beginning, the sixteenth-note chains on the flutes and clarinets symbolize “The sources of the Moldau”, which also accompany the following “forest hunt”, which is dominated by the horns. A “peasant wedding” is also being celebrated on the banks of the river, with its sparkling polka rhythm, probably the most captivating apotheosis of Bohemian folk music from Smetana's pen , along with the overture to the sold bride . It is followed by a mysteriously shimmering “ Nymphs dance in the moonlight”, which again leads to the Vltava theme . But the river is now rushing inexorably towards a dramatic danger: the no longer existing, because sunk in a dam, the “St. Johann Rapids ”a good twenty kilometers south of Prague. The main theme can only be taken from bizarre fragments, the foaming and frightening masses of clay crowd together before they finally plunge into the open. “The Vltava flows broadly” is the name of the last section; it passes the Vyšehrad ramparts and thus also provides a meaningful, cyclical conclusion to this phenomenal symphonic poem in terms of music.

“Smetana's viewpoint” ( Smetanova vyhlídka květen ) over a picturesque loop of the river in a rocky canyon

Smetana's viewpoint

Smetana's viewpoint near Třebsín was named after the composer Bedřich Smetana, who loved this place very much. According to legend, the view inspired him to compose the Vltava. The popular viewing platform is located above the Štěchovice dam under the Kletecko hill (371 m above sea level ) and was built in 1974 on the occasion of Smetana's 150th birthday. The dreaded St. Johann rapids were located in this part of the Vltava, but have ceased to exist since the 1940s and 1950s.

My fatherland (overall form)

The early medieval Prague fortress Vyšehrad over the Vltava

The symphonic cycle Má vlast was from 1874 to 1879 and was a complete work on November 5, 1882 in Prague premiered . Be processed therein myths (Nos. 1 and 3) landscape (Nos. 2 and 4) and history (Nos. 5 and 6) of the Czech home Smetana. The work is divided into six independent parts:

No. title opus Time of origin Initial release* key Playing time
1. Vysehrad T 110

JB 1: 112/1

1872-74 Prague, 1880

Publisher: Urbánek

E flat major approx. 16 '
2. Vltava [The Moldau ] T 111

JB 1: 112/2

1874 Prague, 1880

Publisher: Urbánek

E minor approx. 12 '
3. Šárka T 113

JB 1: 112/3

1875 Prague, 1888

Publisher: Urbánek

A minor approx. 10 '
4th Z českých luhů a hájů

[From Bohemia's grove and hallway]

T 114

JB 1: 112/4

1875 Prague, 1881

Publisher: Urbánek

G minor approx. 13 '
5. Tábor T 120

JB 1: 112/5

1878 Prague, 1892

Publisher: Urbánek

D minor approx. 12 '
6th Blaník M 121

JB 1: 112/6

1879 Prague, 1894

Publisher: Urbánek

D minor approx. 15 '

* All six parts were published by Urbánek for the first time , but were first published in 1879–80 as arrangements for piano four hands.

Má vlast starts with Liszt and at the same time goes beyond him. Critics said that Smetana wanted to "defeat" the master. While his symphonic poems transform literary material into music, Smetana puts musical over narrative logic. Descriptive elements are also essential for him - because what would program music be without a program? -, but in addition to descriptions of specific non-musical events, there are many general invocations of mythical figures, historical places and Bohemian landscapes.

The performance of the full cycle Má vlast (following the Czech national anthem Kde domov můj ) traditionally forms the opening of the musical Prague Spring every year on May 12, the anniversary of the composer's death .

Origin and Effect

Ferdinand Engelmüller - "Moldau" (painting from the portfolio "16 Views of Czech Landscapes 'Česka Krajiná'", 1902 [?])

There are only sparse documents on the history of the origins of Vltava . What is obvious, however, is the temporal connection between Vyšehrad and Vltava and the opera Libuše (Libusa) , which was completed on November 12, 1872 . On November 7th, 1872 the journal Hudební listy published the following note: "After the composer Bedřich Smetana has completely finished the great patriotic opera Libuše [...], he now intends to tackle the larger orchestral compositions Vyšehrad and Vltava ." Afterwards one could read about other titles and other alleged plans of Smetana to compose symphonic poems in the press, but in reality the composer did not deal with any of these projects, and so it is without a doubt the work couple Vyšehrad and Vltava , which marked the beginning of the planned cycle. The material relationship between Vyšehrad (name of the Prague Castle over the Vltava) and the opera Libuše, the plot of which also takes place in Prague, cannot be overlooked. In both cases the Vyšehrad appears as a symbol of mythical prehistoric times. The Vltava flowing through the capital of the Bohemian kingdom had a similar symbolic meaning : It was considered a mythical witness to ancient stories, as it has been repeatedly apostrophized since the famous forgery of the Grünberg manuscript at the beginning of the 19th century. In the national consciousness of the 19th century, the Vltava not only embodied the Bohemian landscape, it also stood for the continuity of national Czech history. This was also expressed in a wide variety of works of fine art , from which Smetana was possibly creatively inspired, especially since the composer was also active in drawing. The Moldova was also represented in music. Worth mentioning here is the romantic opera Svatojánské proudy [The St. John's Rapids] by Josef Richard Rozkošný , which is set in the Vltava region and in which the river appears personified as the mermaid Vltavka. Some of the locations and situations of this opera can be found in a similar way in Smetanas Vltava , who knew Rozkošný's opera: forest and hunting, rural wedding, the St. John's rapids, moonlit night over the river, dancing mermaids and the castle. However, there can be no question of a direct musical compositional influence of Rozkošný's opera on Smetana's work.

The Vltava is spanned by a total of 15 bridges in its course through Prague.

Another source of inspiration for Smetana were his personal experiences and impressions of nature. Like Beethoven , he often takes them personally and uses them as direct inspiration for his compositions. According to the memories of the conductor Mořic Anger, the first impulse for composing the Vltava came from a trip to the confluence of the Křemelná and Vydra at Čeňkova pila on the Hirschenstein , which Smetana undertook on August 28, 1867. He also visited one of the Vltava springs near Kvilda in the Bohemian Forest in 1868 and 1872 and on August 14, 1870 the St. Johann rapids (which no longer exist today). He noted in his diary:

“Today I went on a trip to the Sankt-Johann rapids. We had lunch there and went through the woods to the Sankt Johann Tor and then we went down the river in a boat. High water, the sight of the landscape wonderful and magnificent. "

There is no record of when exactly Smetana began working on the Vltava . Since no sketches for this work were known for a long time, it was wrongly concluded that Smetana had written down the score without first sketching it. In 1983, however, a sheet of music was found in Smetana's estate, which, in addition to sketches for Vyšehrad , Šárka and From Bohemia's Hain and Flur, also contains five drafts for the Vltava . The first of these already shows the polyphonic connection of two independent compositional layers, namely the layer of the wave motif and that of the later main theme. Most likely, Smetana's sketch work on the Vltava included more than just these five drafts. The rapid completion of the composition speaks for this assumption. The score was written between November 19 and December 8, 1874, at a time when the composer was already completely deaf. Even before the composition of the entire cycle was completed, Smetana had the symphonic poems that had already been completed performed individually: Vltava was first performed in a concert organized by the Czech Opera Orchestra in honor of Smetana on April 4, 1875 in Prague's Sophiensaal under the direction of Adolf Čech. Although it was not repeated at the world premiere (as had been the case with Vyšehrad before and later with Aus Böhmens Hain und Flur ), it was accompanied by an extraordinary success from the start:

“Our 'silver-bright' Vltava could not have had a more enthusiastic celebration than through Smetana's symphonic poetry. [...] One need not be surprised that this composition with its fragrant, flowery coloring and its enchanting flow has delighted the audience to the greatest extent. There was almost no end to the composer's evocations. ''

Aware of the uniqueness of his work and in the interest of its dissemination, the otherwise not exactly practical composer strove to have the Vltava printed . During his trip to Vienna and Würzburg to visit specialists in ear diseases in April 1875, he offered the scores of the first three symphonic poems to the music publisher B. Schott 's Sons in Mainz for printing - but in vain. Negotiations with the Berlin company Bote & Bock in 1878 were similarly negative , although the composer had agreed to enter into a compromise that was actually unworthy of him: “I don't ask for any fee , except for a few free copies .” Only after the Prague book publisher František Augustin Urbánek started to publish music , the whole cycle Mein Vaterland was published. Between December 1879 and June 1880, arrangements for piano four hands were initially published which were easier to sell, before the six works were also published in printed scores and with printed parts from 1880 . Soon after the print came out, Smetana sent one copy each of the Vysehrad and the Vltava to Franz Liszt

“I have now taken the liberty of sending you, my master, the first two numbers in score and four-hand piano reduction. All six have been performed repeatedly here in Prague, and indeed with extraordinary success, otherwise only the first two in Chemnitz . As a result of the great success, the local publisher Urbánek risked the expense of editing. "

Smetana himself had proposed a very low fee in the contract with Urbánek of May 14, 1879: 40 guilders per composition for score and parts and 30 guilders for the piano reduction for four hands, a total of 420 guilders for the entire cycle, which he completed in print no longer lived. During his lifetime, after the Vyšehrad and the Vltava, only the edition of From Bohemian Grove and Flur (1881) appeared.

František Augustin Urbánek (1842–1919), Czech publisher and bibliographer

Smetana was not one of those composers who provided the public with interpretations of content and literary comments on their works. In a time of widespread communication of music through the written word, one expected, especially in the case of a symphonic poem, that the author would convey the “content” of his music to the audience in words. Smetana was somewhat cautious about this request: In his opinion, the title of the work alone was sufficient for the listener's basic orientation and attunement. Smetana built primarily on the eloquence and self-sufficiency of his music and said that “every listener [is] allowed to leave everything else to his imagination and to add whatever he likes to his taste.” In addition, Smetana probably didn't feel at all sufficiently literarily qualified to write programs for his symphonic poems for the public himself. Rather, he relied on eloquent journalists who, if desired, had to do this according to his information and intentions. For example, the explanations on the Vltava that appeared in the press before the premiere in 1875 and in the first print in 1880 , although they did not come from the pen of Smetana, can in some respects be regarded as authorized. Smetana himself gave the most excellent interpretations of the work with headings to some sections of the score (in the whole cycle only the Vltava contains such headings). In the order of their entry (in Czech) they are: "The first source of the Vltava", "The second source of the Vltava", "Forests - hunting", "Rural wedding", "Moonlight - dance of nymphs", "St. Johann rapids ”,“ The broad stream of the Vltava ”and“ Vyšehrad motif ”. These entries are accompanied by a table of contents entitled Brief outline of the contents of the sinf. Added poems that Smetana wrote as a template for further literary elaboration - and which the Prague journalist Václav Vladimír Zelený finally took over - and sent to the publisher Urbánek in May 1879:

"II. Moldova. The composition depicts the course of the Vltava, starting from the first two sources, the cold and the warm Vltava , the union of the two brooks in a single flood; then the course of the Vltava in forests and fields, through landscapes where happy parties are celebrated; by the nocturnal moonlight the dance of nymphs; castles , palaces, and ruins tower proudly on nearby rocks ; the Vltava swirls in the St. Johann rapids; it flows on in the broad river to Prague, Vyšehrad appears, and finally it disappears in the distance in its majestic course in the Elbe . "

Musical structure and content (analysis)

Score from the Vltava (first edition by Urbánek, 1874)

While other works of the Má vlast cycle more or less resist a clear formal classification, in the Vltava, regardless of all compositional originality, a formal scheme is clearly recognizable. It is set up as a free rondo that corresponds to the elementary relationship between music and program: the recurring basic character of the river (main theme) changes with the individual situations and with the images accompanying its course to form various episodes of a rondo. The main theme of the Vltava, in its melodic upward and downward flow, a musical image of the wave movements of the Vltava, was composed by Smetana based on a melodic archetype that occurred in various European musical cultures as early as the Middle Ages and whose variants are also known in Czech folk songs. According to a later testimony, Smetana is said to have said that he chose this way "because all peoples have it and it is understandable to all."

As part of the Vltava , the multi-part main theme - in the sense of a leitmotif - sounds a total of three times: first in bars 40 to 80, then in bars 239-271 and for the third time, now turned from E minor to E major, in the Bars 333–359 (see notes on main theme ). It alternates with characteristic “intermediate sentences”: a fanfare-like hunting episode, a rural polka intermezzo, a poetic nocturne , which is later followed by archaic fanfares, as well as a dramatic rapids passage and finally with a weighty coda, which in turn is the main theme quoted from Vyšehrad .

Section (after Smetana) Time signature Tempo indication key shape scope
1. The two sources of the Vltava 6/8 Allegro commodo non agitato E minor T. 1-35 35 bars
2. Moldova (main topic) 6/8 E minor T. 36-80 45 [70 *]
3. Forest hunting 6/8 wandering T. 80-118 39
4. Country wedding 2/4 L'istesso tempo, ma moderato G major T. 118-177 60
5. moonlight; Dance of nymphs 4/4 L'istesso tempo A flat major T. 177-238 62
6. Moldova (recapitulation) 6/8 Tempo I E minor T. 239-271 33
7. St. Johann rapids 6/8 wandering T. 271-332 62
8. The Vltava flows broadly 6/8 Più moto E major T. 333-359 27
9. Coda with "Vyšehrad motif" and "Disappearance in the distance" 6/8 E major T. 359-427 70

The “poetic idea” on which the Vltava is based is not the concrete course of the river tied to various episodes, but - in a more abstract way - the idea of ​​“flowing” per se. In doing so, Smetana makes use of a multitude of musical and tonal motifs that illustrate the splash, Acoustically (and also graphically in the notation) symbolize flowing, streaks and waves. Each section, although of quite contrasting content, is shaped in its own way by wave motifs - partly reinvented, partly related to the previous one or even taken from it. With this, Smetana creates a new kind of musical standardization, which is less based on thematic processing than on the constant variation of a non-musical, but acoustically well representable idea. The versatility of the small motifs corresponds to an ambiguity in the musical form. The characteristic, episodic design of the individual molded parts finds its counterweight in the targeted effort to create a coherent connection on the overarching level of the overall system. Significantly, several traditional formal schemes “flow” into one another: 1.) The Vltava as a loosely joined rondo form, in which the Vltava theme recurs several times and thereby ensures a tangible recognition effect (see table), or 2.) as an extended three-part song form ( 1st part: No. 2 + 3 / 2nd part: No. 4 + 5 / 3rd part: No. 6 + 7) with a preceding introduction (No. 1) and concluding coda (No. 8 + 9).

In fact, the Moldova's success is not based on its comprehensible formal structure; this offers - in the spirit of symphonic poetry - only the inconspicuous basis for the development of the poetic idea. And so it is primarily the catchy motif-thematic design of the individual molded parts (episodes) that makes the work extremely attractive the first time it is heard and that is just as lasting in memory.

Comments on the Moldova issue

2. Moldova (main topic)

The main theme begins in E minor (mm. 40–47) with harmonic analysis
Middle part of the main theme (mm. 56–65) as a model with sequence

The multi-part Moldau theme in E minor begins after a 4-bar introduction in m. 40. The melody is heard in the 1st violins, paired with the 1st oboe and from bar 56 also with the two flutes, a second part below in thirds and sixths in the 2nd oboe and octaves (8 vb ) in the 1st bassoon . In the 2nd violins, violas and divided violoncellos there are wave-like accompanying figures, which Smetana characterizes with the performance designations lusingando (flattering, pleasing, gliding, tender, playful) and semper ondeggiante (always undulating, swelling). The bass line consists of a combination of the 2nd bassoon with the plucked double basses (and in places also with the harp), various accompanying elements appear in the clarinets and horns. In the further course of the main theme, Smetana then, apart from the harp, also selectively uses a triangle and the timpani, which complements or completes the “mixed sound” typical of orchestral music of the Romantic era .

varied recapitulation of the main theme (mm. 73–80) including entanglement with the following episode

The main theme of the Vltava , comprising a total of 66 bars, is constituted as a "classic three-part song" (after Ratz ) with the structure AA / BA 'B A'. Formally in two parts, it is divided into three parts in terms of content: an 8-bar basic theme A with written repetition, a middle part B (17 bars) with integrated return to the varied recapitulation A '(8 bars), which in turn are also repeated. The A section is in two parts (8 in 4 + 4 bars) and begins with a prelude . Melodically, this is a gradual upward or downward movement within the E minor scale (from the root e 2 to the sixth c 3 and back again). Smetana characterizes this somewhat wistful melody with dolce ("sweet", gentle, tender, lovely) and enriches the beginning of each theme with a triangle-stroke called alla campanella (bell-like).

The B part consists of variants of the basic theme: a 4-bar model in the parallel key of G major (starting with the fourth degree, C major), which now extends the melody to the seventh d 3 , its sequence in E minor (starting with A minor) as well as lingering on the dominant with integrated return line (9 in 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 3 bars).

The recapitulation A '(8 bars) is particularly varied in harmony : Smetana begins here - refreshingly - in the variant key of E major and then also reharmonizes the descending melody line: bars 75-76 cadence in the parallel key of G major, the Bars 77–78 in the mediante in C major (in bar 77 even the Neapolitan appears !) And bars 80–81 finally lead back to the tonic in E minor.

6. Moldova (recapitulation)

In the recapitulation of the Vltava theme in bars 239–271, Smetana dispenses with both repetitions and thus reduces the otherwise literal recurring theme to 33 (instead of the original 66) bars. The sixth section, not overwritten by the composer, thus has the three-part structure in ABA '(33 in 8 + 17 + 8 bars) and - like the original main theme (No. 2) - is directly linked to the following episode in m.271 crossed.

Although Smetana only allows the main theme to be heard in the 2nd, 6th and 8th sections as a complete, self-contained theme, the “St. Johann Rapids ”(No. 7) - as the only (!) Episode - different variants and motivic fragments of the Vltava theme; However, this time hidden in the lower layers of the musical texture (. for example in T. 273-278, 281-294 or T. T. 297-310, etc.) as well as implementing the manner processed. (see notes on the individual episodes )

8. The Vltava flows broadly

“The Vltava flows broadly” (T. 333–359), variant of the Vltava theme in E major

The main theme is heard for the last time in bars 333–359; but this time - in the sense of the headline “The Vltava flows broadly” or “The broad stream of the Vltava” - in the variant key of E major, at an increased tempo ( Più moto ) and redesigned formally and harmoniously: Smetana shortens the theme here a total of 27 (in 19 + 9) bars and allows the two parts to overlap (entanglement). Bars 333–351 constitute a “condensed” version of the main theme (19 in 6 [4 + 2] + 13 [4 + 4 + 5] bars). Smetana retains the original range of the melody (b 1 to d 3 ), but enriches the melody (cf. bars 44–47) as well as the harmonization in bar 342 and bar 346 with the use of the diminished seventh chord (as an ellipse ), whereby the entire passage gains noticeably in drama and intensity and symbolizes, so to speak, the “path of the Vltava to Prague”. The continuation of the modified theme (bars 351–359) consists of two cadenced phrases (9 in 4 + 5 bars) and, after a successive crescendo, ends with heroic trumpet fanfares in the patriotically motivated Vyšehrad quote, the “ideal climax” of the work .

Notes on the individual episodes (excluding the Moldova topic)

1. The two sources of the Vltava

“The two sources of the Moldau” (mm. 1–4), complementary flute part

The composition Vltava opens with a sixteenth- note motif in swaying 6/8 time in E minor, which acoustically corresponds to the extra-musical idea of ​​“rippling in the stone” or “glittering in the sun”. "The first source of Moldavia" - possibly the Cold Vltava (?) -. Represents Smetana is with the two alternating and sonically bright flutes The bustling scale passages ( lusingando ) are of harmonics of the harp and rhythmically gradually compacted Pizzicati accompanied the violins. For “The Second Source of the Moldau” (bar 16) Smetana then uses the clarinets, which are darker in sound, and leads them mostly in counter-movement to the flutes. Bars 24–35 linger largely on the dominant of E minor: an organ point in the violas, which is enlivened in the further course like a trill , ends in bar 36 directly in the new section (No. 2). The bubbling undulations of the woodwinds are now taken over by the lower strings, changing almost imperceptibly from the main to the supporting role (accompaniment). After a short prelude, the famous Vltava theme finally sets in for the first time in bar 40. This first episode “The Two Sources of the Vltava” comprises a total of 35 bars and functions as an introduction to the overall form .

3. Forest hunting

“Forest hunt” (T. 80–88), fanfares and signals from the horns and trumpets

The third episode with the original heading "Forests - Hunt" (39 in 22 + 16 bars) begins completely abruptly in bar 80. Here, after a fallacy, Smetana interlinks the Vltava theme directly with the next section and thereby creates a sharp contrast. which reveals itself on several levels at the same time: for example, the harmony (change of tone type : major instead of minor), the melody ( triad - instead of step melody ), the rhythm (dotted note values ​​as a new element), the articulation (marcato or staccato instead of tenuto or legato ), dynamics ( forte instead of piano ), the instrumentation (new timbre through the use of the orchestra tuttis with brass and timpani) as well as the character or style (blaring hunting signals in the horns and trumpets) pointed out. Despite motivic continuity (and a further development in larger undulating movements), this passage receives due to the now larger harmonics and phrase formation (mm. 80–87 in C major, mm. 88–93 G7, mm. 94–97 in F major, m. 98–101 Bm7b5 / D Sixte ajoutée chord , T. 102–117 E major) their own imprint. In the further course Smetana modifies the hunting (horn) fanfares in different ways, making use of complementary rhythms (e.g. BT 94-101). Bars 102–118, on the other hand, function as a transition: after a reminiscence of the head motif of the Moldau theme in the oboes (bars 103/104), the musical action calms down noticeably and ends after a successive diminuendo (from ff into ppp ) with a fully composed ritardando (6: 4: 3: 2) in the following section.

4. Country wedding

“Peasant Wedding” (T. 122–130), Bohemian polka melody

In the fourth episode entitled "Rural Wedding", Smetana temporarily leaves the world of nature, instead a folk polka with a lovely third melody and regular four-bar groups leads into the human world of dance and joie de vivre - here you can hear pure Bohemian folklore! The musical scene change takes place in T. 118 by means of "transition" ( fade-outfade-in ), the exchange VA of the signature from the ternary 6/8 clock for binary 2/4 clock with a constant tempo ( L'istesso tempo ) is essential. After the polka theme was introduced twice in the parallel key of G major, there is a vivid outburst of the full orchestra in bar 138 with dance-like alternation between triangle and timpani. Here Smetana evidently represents a kind of “village music band” with the means of the orchestra.

A reference to the flow of the Vltava can only be made very indirectly in section no. 4 - and yet the twos of the polka melody also appear as a small, playful modification of the omnipresent ripple figures. Smetana also hides this scene almost cinematically: Zelenýs writes in his program that the party gradually becomes quiet at night, but the continual fading of the polka suggests that the flow (and the listener as an invisible observer who drifts with the flow) gradually flows past the happy scene and the sounds become more and more quieter ( semper dim. ) until they finally ebb away completely.

5. Moonlight - dance of nymphs

"Moonlight - Nymphenreigen" (T. 187–194), muted string theme

The fifth episode entitled "Moonlight - Nymphenreigen" is a magical nocturne in the remote key of A flat major. It lies pretty much exactly in the middle of the composition and also forms its "inner climax", so to speak. A close friend of Smetana's aptly described this romantic scene in the following words:

“The night falls to the ground, the wedding celebrations fall silent, a mysterious silence hangs over the land. In the pale moonlight, mermaids and nymphs now liven up the banks and swing their dance over the shimmering silver waves, while castles and palaces soar on the slopes as witnesses of past glory - memorials of past greatness and glory. "

Like a moon rise, in bars 177–184 a diminished triad builds up in the woodwinds above the keynote of episode no. 4 , which Smetana subsequently expands to E-flat 7 and thus surprisingly modulates to A flat major . With the use of the muted strings ( con sordini ) in m . 185, the moon has reached its zenith. Now a nocturnal rippling begins (in the flutes and clarinets), softly accented by Apollonian harp arpeggios and the delicate sounds of the horns - above it develops the unearthly slow dance of the nymphs, a calm, oniric melody called dolcissimo (very sweet) infinite space. For its part, the theme is strongly reminiscent of the introduction to the overture The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai , composed 25 years earlier , which Smetana must have known because of his work as a theater conductor.

polyrhythmic figures accompanying the flutes and clarinets (T. 185–188)

The nocturnal river scene, designated by the composer as tranquillamente (calm) and consistently held in p , pp or ppp , is also characterized by the omnipresent motifs of flowing: the soft splashing of the flutes from m . 185 is a variant of the initial lusingando - The Vltava spring trickles down (see No. 1), the clarinets, on the other hand, take up the broken chords from the hunt episode (No. 3) in diminished form. The polyrhythmic combination of these two layers (sixteenth notes versus triplets, 4: 3) causes the accompaniment to become blurred, so to speak.

The central section "Moonlight - Nymphenreigen" in leisurely 4/4 time consists of several overlapping parts: After a chordal introduction in long note values ​​(T. 177–186), the poetic theme (8 in 4 + 4 bars) in the "enraptured" key of the enharmonically mistaken upper mediante A flat major. The repetition it has begun surprisingly modulates into the sub-median in C minor and ends in a thematically related middle section in m. 205, before Smetana returns to A flat major and archaic fanfares of horns, trombones and tuba appear in m. 213. This elongated passage, characterized by harmonic ambivalence, oscillates constantly between major and minor and turns out to be a transition or return to the next section; At the latest from bar 229, when Smetana enriches the musical texture with pompous trumpet signals on the fifth of E major (instead of E minor) and gradually increases the volume, the recapitulation is unmistakably prepared for.

7. St. Johann rapids

After the recapitulation of the Vltava theme (No. 6), the river rushes inexorably towards a dramatic danger: the St. Johann rapids south of Prague, which no longer exist today. The main theme can only be taken from bizarre fragments, the foaming and frightening masses of clay crowd together in a wild vortex before they finally plunge into the open. The seventh episode, entitled "St. Johann Rapids ”comprises a total of 62 bars and forms the“ dramatic climax ”of the composition; at the same time, it sets a counterpoint to the poetic and exactly equally long episode “Moonlight - Nymphenreigen” (No. 5).

“St.Johann rapids” (T. 273-279) with variants of the Vltava theme underground

As with “Waldjagd” (No. 3), the seventh episode in m. 271 begins suddenly after a fallacy; this time, however, in the form of an intermediate function referring back to the preceding dominant B major. Smetana also works with sound surfaces here: A series of 8-bar, overlapping blocks with mostly chromatic - dissonant chords (especially diminished seventh chords ) plunges the listener into harmonic turbulence and evokes feelings of insecurity ... threatening fanfares in the horns and trumpets paired with shrill motifs in the high woodwinds tower above the virtuoso swirling strings, while hidden underground a variant of the Vltava theme in the lower strings and bassoons (e.g. BT 273-278), coupled with its imitation in the bass trombone and tuba as well as in the oboes and clarinets.

The turbulent and, overall, probably the most complex section of the composition finally reaches its dynamic climax in bar 323, where the full orchestra breaks out into a triple forte ( fff ), the loudest passage in the entire work, and after a surprising subito pianissimo the Moldau inexorably its " Weg nach Prag ”continues in a radiant E major.

9. Coda with "Vyšehrad motif" and "Disappearance in the distance"

"Vyšehrad motif" (T. 359–374)
"Disappearance in the Distance" with final chords (T. 420–427)

“The Vltava flows broadly” (No. 8) is the name of the immediately last section before the Coda, before the Vltava finally flows past the magnificent Vyšehrad ramparts (on a high rock on the right bank south of Prague) and Smetana in bars 359 –374 quotes the “Vyšehrad motif” from the tone poem of the same name . The theme, increased to monumentality (and transposed to E major ), sounds here - like a national anthem - solemnly in the wind instruments and at the same time testifies to ardent patriotism; In addition, it thematically ensures a cyclical conclusion to the composition. The entry of the Vyšehrad motif is usually prepared interpretatively by means of ritardando and the pompous theme itself is structured in bars 359–373 in ritmo di tre battute (that is, grouped into superordinate 3-bar groups), which makes the tempo seem emotionally slowed.

Analogous to the first symphonic poem, the Vyšehrad theme now also flows in the Vltava into a sweeping ascending passage (in the meanwhile again lively 6/8 time), which - entirely in the sense of a coda - uses predominantly formulaic material, harmoniously with the chords of the The tonic and dominant are limited, and by means of augmentation in m. 395 they culminate pathetically in E major. In the further course "the Vltava [literally] disappears in the distance" and the composition sounds like a carefully composed diminuendo ( semper dim. Al ppp ) in multiple wave movements peacefully and almost inaudibly ( smorzando ) in a general pause - so the work could actually be to be over ... Surprisingly, Smetana allows two loud chords from the full orchestra to follow and thus marks the final point.

occupation

Piccolo , 2 flutes , 2 oboes , 2 clarinets in C, Bb and A, 2 bassoons , 4 horns in C, F, Eb and E, 2 trumpets in C, E, A and B, 3 trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion ( Triangle , bass drum and cymbals ), harp , strings : violin (2), viola , violoncello (divided), double bass

Significance in Smetana's entire work / reception

Although the other parts of the cycle gradually gained a foothold in international musical life and there were more and more complete performances of Smetanas Má vlast , the Vltava occupies a leading position in terms of frequency of performances and popularity . Its effect is based on musical quality, without presupposing a nationally inspired mode of reception: for all its national peculiarities, it is generally understandable as a paradigmatic contribution to the genre of symphonic poetry. Vltava is not only Smetana's most famous composition worldwide, it has also become an icon of Czech music , similar to the Largo from Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 From the New World or his humorous G flat major .

Smetana, by no means undisputed within the Czech national movement, hits the nerve of his time with the Vltava like no other composer. His music becomes a popular expression of the longing for an independent Czech Republic, especially in the reflection on nature, which is ingeniously drawn with bold lines. Nevertheless, the piece by no means met with unanimous approval from criticism. Some may anticipate the ambivalence that is inherent in overly patriotically motivated music. The notorious Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick mockingly describes the musical pathos when the Vltava reaches the legendary Prague Castle:

"The whole orchestra with cymbals and bass drum gets into an uproar and performs a patriotically exaggerated roar that wants to spend the Vltava vortex for a second Niagara fall."

And yet Smetana's nationalism does not follow any backward-looking idea of ​​a supposedly protective isolation from everything foreign. Even as at the end, when the river finally flows into the Elbe, Smetana changes to the triumphant patriotic E major. The premiere was a huge success for the meanwhile completely deaf Smetana, a cheering audience paid homage to him unanimously. With The Bartered Bride , he had already left a work in the opera field that is still popular today. With the Moldau he finally established national Czech music.

literature

  • Linda Maria Koldau : The Moldau. Smetana's cycle “My Fatherland” . Böhlau, Cologne 2007, ISBN 978-3-412-15306-9 .
  • Milan Pospíšil (Ed.): Study score (Urtext). Ernst Eulenburg & Co. GmbH, Mainz 1999.
  • Hans Swarowsky, Manfred Huss (Ed.): Preservation of the shape . Writings on work and reproduction, style and interpretation in music. Universal Edition AG, Vienna 1979, ISBN 978-3-7024-0138-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Volker Tarnow: Bedřich Smetana - My Fatherland, cycle of symphonic poems. Retrieved April 15, 2020 .
  2. ^ National currents in the 19th century. Accessed April 7, 2020 .
  3. ^ Matthias Sakowski: WDR 3 work review: Bedřich Smetana's "Die Moldau". Retrieved April 7, 2020 .
  4. Smetana's viewpoint. Retrieved April 20, 2020 .
  5. a b “The Moldau” - the cornerstone of Czech musical culture. Retrieved April 10, 2020 .
  6. a b c d Milan Pospíšil: Foreword (study score) . Ernst Eulenburg & Co. GmbH, Mainz 1999.
  7. a b Linda Maria Koldau: The Moldau. Smetana's cycle "My Fatherland" . Böhlau, Cologne 2007.
  8. ^ Matthias Sakowski: WDR 3 work review: Bedřich Smetana's "Die Moldau". 2017, accessed April 19, 2020 .