How can someone compose one of the most famous works of Czech music… when he never heard it?
This is exactly what happened to one of the most important Czech composers Bedřichu Smetanovi (1824–1884). The native of Litomyšl, the author of the cycle of symphonic poems Má vlast, completely lost his hearing in 1874.
And yet it was precisely at that time that one of his most famous works was created.
Bedřich Smetana had struggled with health problems since childhood. At the age of eleven, a bottle filled with gunpowder exploded in his face. He reportedly washed the injury with water from a pond, which led to severe inflammation of the jaw and the temporal bone and slowed the growth of part of his face. He is said to have later concealed the resulting asymmetry with a full beard.
When he became completely deaf in October 1874, it was devastating news for the composer. To this day, the exact cause is uncertain. The most frequently cited explanation is progressive paralysis caused by syphilis, though it may also have been a late consequence of his childhood injury.
Paradoxically, it was during this period of total silence that Má vlast was composed, including the famous Vltava. The music that still moves listeners around the world today existed at that time only in Smetana’s imagination.
The composer also suffered from tinnitus—a constant ringing sound in his ears. According to some music historians, this high tone occasionally appears in his compositions from the period of his deafness.
Alongside Má vlast, other important works were also created during this period — for example, Czech Dances, the string quartet From My Life, or the opera The Secret, which premiered in 1878.
Do you want to revisit Smetana’s music?
All you need to do is log in to your reader account on our website and open the Naxos Music Library, where you can find, for example, Vltava as well as many other works by Czech and international composers.
And if Naxos excites you, stop by the music section of the Regional Library in Pardubice. We’ll be happy to help you install the NML (Naxos Music Library) app on your phone. You can listen to music from the entire database anytime, anywhere, and for free as part of your library membership
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