Page:Bohemia; a brief evaluation of Bohemia's contribution to civilization (1917).pdf/32

 great triumph. “New York Herald” wrote next morning: “Smetana has been called “the Bohemian Mozart”, which is very apt, for this music is classic in its gayety and its light-hearted charm. It is simply melody from beginning to end. One pretty tune succeeds another—it is a treasure of purling tunefulness that will occupy a prominent place in the repertoire of the opera house.” The same success was repeated in Chicago on April 17, 1909. One might think that the reasonable consequence would be the performance of other operas of Smetana. But nothing of this kind occurred. New York and Chicago Grand Opera are playing today works of Italian and French authors of the second and third rank, but Smetana and Dvořák are entirely forgotten. Is it not curious?

The greatest gift of Smetana to his nation was the cycle of six symphonic poems “Má Vlast” (My Country). Here in America again only two poems of this complex are given every season by the symphonic orchestras: the first “Vyšehrad” and the second “Vltava” (In German “Moldau”). “My Country” is a grandiose conception. The first symphonic poem “Vyšehrad” celebrates the proud rock of Vyšehrad, the seat of the first Bohemian rulers. The harp of a national bard opens the poem, the glory of the Bohemian nation is sung here, the loss of independence and the firm belief in the new rising of the nation. The second poem “Vltava” depicts the river Vltava from its sources in the Šumava mountains, through dense woods and beautiful lowlands, around the picturesque ruins of castles, through the St. John’s Rapids, to the majestic Vyšehrad. The third poem "Šárka” leads us in the national myths. The Bohemian amazons are at war with the Prince of Vyšehrad. Their leader, the beautiful "Šárka”, deceives the brave warrior Ctirad, and all his soldiers are killed. The fourth poem, “From Bohemia’s Meadows and Forests”, is a delightful idyl, congenial in mood to Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony. The fifth poem, “Tábor”, celebrates the most magnificent section of the Bohemian history, the Hussite wars. The Hussites, who had in the town of Tábor their main stronghold, were invincible warriors, you hear their above-mentioned song in an iron-clad instrumentation. The