An exhibition dedicated to Czech composer Bedřich Smetana and his most
famous piece, the cycle of six symphonic poems entitled My Country, has
got underway at Prague’s National Museum. The exhibition, which is part
of the Year of Czech Music, commemorates 200 years since the birth of
the Czech musical great.
The new exhibition dedicated to Smetana’s My Country was launched this
Tuesday, November 5, marking exactly 142 years since the complete cycle
premiered at the Žofín Palace in Prague.
[1]Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
Smetana himself couldn’t hear the performance, since had gone
completely deaf over the course of its composition.
The exhibition presents the individual symphonic poems of My Country
through authentic notes, correspondence and scores, but it also
provides the historical context in which they were created and their
reception at various moments of Czech history, says its curator
Marianna Lebedová:
“We wanted to invite visitors to go on trips, to wander around my
country, but with the music. In the exhibition hall, there are many
audio samples, there are samples of familiar motifs from those
individual parts, but visitors can also hear the individual pieces in
their entirety.”
[2]Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
Visitors can find out, for instance, that Smetana completed the score
for Vltava in an incredible 19 days. On the side of the score they can
see a note scribbled by the composer which says: "being completely
deaf". Also on display are letters Smetana wrote to his children and
friends, says Ms. Lebedová:
“I read many of his letters and diary entries, and they reveal that
Bedřich Smetana did have a sense of humour. And although the family
relationships were far from ideal, they also experienced lots of nice
everyday moments, going mushroom picking or swimming.”
[3]Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
Among the most valuable exhibits is a so-called rastrum, a five-pointed
writing instrument used to draw the five lines of the standard music
staff, and a handwritten autograph of Vyšehrad:
“It shows that Bedřich Smetana was very precise. This autograph is now
open at the beginning, and you can see the harp cadence as the notes
rise and fall. And judging by the neat handwriting, you can really tell
that he was precise to the point of being a stickler.”
[4]Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
The visitors can also take a glimpse of Smetana’s life through his
personal objects, such as reading glasses, writing utensils, and a
hearing aid. There is also a unique conducting baton that used to
belong to the great Czech composer:
“In those days, musicians were given trophies as a kind of thanks for
their work. This baton is made of ivory and inlaid with garnets and it
was never actually used for conducting. So it really is an honorary
baton, a sort of a trophy.”
The exhibition My Country will be on display in the main building of
the National Museum until the end of October 2025.
[5]Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
Photo: Hana Řeháková, Radio Prague International
References
1.
https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/c39e6e860c01e5aa3d95b83740e1bdd4.jpg?itok=NnN22u9i×tamp=1730901446
2.
https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/d7960c8e10a57a1d05988ed805d02dda.jpg?itok=4GBX4d4r×tamp=1730901446
3.
https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/b3d5887f55f1d9f3651c85eaf1e8f669.jpg?itok=-gVmwK_S×tamp=1730901446
4.
https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/369e8ce9c478d6bc3792fa28cdec2bef.jpg?itok=rGWGA10o×tamp=1730901446
5.
https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/914131877a5348dac74e743e9372919b.jpg?itok=c8xJHew_×tamp=1730901446
