Lavish facsimile edition
The autograph of Smetana’s “Vltava”
“Vltava” (The Moldau), the second part of the cycle of symphonic poems “Má vlast” (My Country), is considered an icon of Czech music worldwide and undoubtedly is one of the most well-known pieces of classical music. At 50 years of age Smetana, who was in a state of complete deafness, composed it in just 19 days and completed it on 8 December 1874; he was never able to hear this or any other part of the “My Country” cycle.
The autograph of “Vltava” bears witness to the composer's extraordinary musical imagination. Apart from five short motivic sketches on a single sheet, no other sketches have survived. It is highly probable that Smetana wrote “Vltava” directly into the score. He was most concerned that his notation should be error-free and unambiguous. Thus in the autograph, which was meticulously written in violet ink, there are no traces of a creative struggle for the final form of the work; there are no deletions or conspicuous corrections. If the composer subsequently saw the need for a change, he erased the original version so thoroughly that misinterpretations of the notation could be ruled out. The unusually large number of dynamic and performance markings as well as verbal comments also testify to Smetana's endeavour to write down his musical ideas in every detail in an unmistakable manner – a remarkable autograph, not least in this respect.
Bärenreiter Praha has now meticulously reproduced the in this lavish facsimile edition, which is a gem for conductors, musicians and music lovers all over the world.
Bedřich Smetana: Vltava. Autograph Národní Muzeum – Muzeum Bedřich Smetany, Praha. Bärenreiter Facsimile. Commentary: Hugh Macdonald and Olga Mojžíšová. ISBN 978-80-86385-45-7. Bärenreiter Praha 2024 (Documenta Musicologica, Series 2, Volume LIX). BVK04013. 64 pages Facsimile, XXI pages Commentary (Czech, English, German). € 195.00.