Transcript Smetana: Vltava (Ma* Vlast, no.2) - Dyatmika Music

Smetana: Vltava (Má Vlast, no.2)
Bedřich Smetana
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Born: March 2, 1824 in the Czech Republic
Regarded his homeland, the Czech Republic as his Father
Started a Piano Institute in late August 1848
Struggled with loss of hearing and mental illness
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How did he die?
 In 1879, Smetana had written to a friend, revealing fears of
the onset of madness.
 By the winter of 1882–83 he was experiencing depression,
insomnia, and hallucinations, together with giddiness, cramp
and a temporary loss of speech
 Died in 1884 - The hospital registered the cause of death as
senile dementia.
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Má Vlast - Highlights
GENRE: Symphonic poem
• Composed Má Vlast, (My Country) between 1874-1879
• Romantic Period
• Cycle of six symphonic poems
• Six pieces were conceived as individual works
• Symphonic Poem - A symphonic poem or tone poem is a
piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous
movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of
a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other
(non-musical) source.
• Each poem depicts some aspect of the countryside, history,
or legends of Bohemia
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Vltava (The Moldau)
Smetana’s music has two distinct
purposes, the first to portray the
course of his country’s most
important river from its source,
through changing landscapes, and
on to the sea, the second to evoke as
he does it, a sense of national pride
and identity.
Each section of the work has its
own descriptive title.
The Moldau is a musical portrayal
of the main river (Moldau is
German for Vltava) which runs
through the countryside of
Bohemia (present day Czech
Republic). The composer wrote
the work following a trip he took
down the river.
Smetana uses tone painting to
evoke the sounds of the river musical description, by harmonic,
melodic, orThe
rhythmic
Vltava inmeans,
Prague of
the words of a text or the story
elements in program music.
Orchestration
Smetana employs the rich color of a large orchestra: Note the
use of harp, tuba, piccolo, bass drum, cymbals, and triangle.
With this vivid palette he creates scenes of contrasting
atmosphere.
0:00-1:27
• Listen to 0:00 – 1:27
• Think of a river’s journey
• Write down what you think could be happening here in
this opening section?
• What does Smetana do musically that made you think
that?
• What happens at 0:27?
The source of the Vlatva
What musical devices does Smetana use to portray his
program?
The source of the Vlatva
0:00
0:00 - Cold Springs represented by flutes which begin with a flowing melodic passage
with rippling figures. The harp and strings (pizzicato) are heard periodically representing
drops of water
0:27 - The warm spring presents by clarinets with the inversion phrase of running notes
of flutes
The tempo is rather fast in this introduction. The music is a steady piano, soft dynamic
• Flutes continue, the volume is at a piano
• Harps and pizzicato strings play more frequently and rippling figures become
broader making the listener believe that the river is slowly building and its speed
increasing
Lower strings, running notes lead to the next section
It is the main focus of the entire
piece, the journey down the river;
yes we see many different things
throughout the trip but one thing
is constant, the river.
The River
1:10
• Violins with song-like river theme in minor key, smooth, slurred, stepwise
melody which is constantly moving upwards,
• Dynamics – piano - fluctuates between crescendos and decrescendo or
diminuendos
• Running-note accompaniment in strings continues
Adaptation of an Italian Renaissance folk tune and the melody which later became the State of
Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHaopDM6fHw
The River
1:10
How does Smetana represent the river growing/
increasing in flow?
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The River
1:52
Bridge
• The river is building and getting wider as is reflected by the
violins, clarinets and flutes all play together with the
continued crescendo followed by the diminuendos
• Swirling sixteenth notes act as accompaniment, adding to the
depth of the river
• Theme is repeated and expanded intentionally. The river is
growing
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Hunt in the
Woods
3:07
• The sound of loud, dominating French horns and
trumpets, portraying the calls of hunting horns, represents
the great fields through which a horse-back hunt proceeds
• The small forests which the hunters pass are represented by
the quieter contrasting passages by strings and woodwinds
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Hunt in the
3:07
Woods
• French horns and trumpets with f present the hunting calls
• Rippling continues (in strings); dies down to gently rocking
motion
• The dynamics change as the strings take over dominance
from the horns at this time in the piece. The horns and
trumpets have faded and are now only heard in the
background. We close this section at a pianississimo
• Transition to next section (strings).
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4:18
How does the music change in
character at this point?
What might be happening?
Peasant Wedding
4:18
• The measured, rhythmic nature of this section shows the
tradition and order of the proceedings, which while retaining a
happy and light hearted character
• Strings present a dance-like tune (polka) – staccato in strings
and woodwinds.
• Again we have a building crescendo, but the strings and triangle
have made the song feel more like a dance or polka now
• Drops to a pianissimo - Instruments are barely audible towards
the end.
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Nymphs in Moonlight
5:50
The river has a calm, dreamlike appearance with
mysterious and playful water-nymphs dancing in the
moonlight, promoting a fairytale-like mood.
How does Smetana paint this picture using music?
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Nymphs in Moonlight
• 5:50 - Mysterious long notes in woodwinds, sustained tones – pianissimo
• 6:07 - Flute passage (similar to opening of work) - Flutes enter playing running
notes at a louder piano
• 6:07 Violins enter at a pianissimo; the melody is a legato with flutes and harps
accompanying violins. Rhythm has slowed to a longer more drawn out tempo.
Tempo is steadiest, no real crescendo to find
• Violins, harp, woodwind and flute are all playing. A subtle crescendo starts as the
brass enters at a pianissimo. Throughout the moonlight dance section, you feel as
if you are a fairy or something light and magical dancing across the river.
• 7:50 - Intensification. Woodwinds are playing running notes. Rhythm is much
faster with the woodwinds playing. You can sense that the music is about to make
a transition back into its chorus.
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The River
8:23
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Violins present the river theme once again
running note accompaniment in strings
soft dynamic with a building crescendo.
Like beginning, strings in minor, then shift to major (raised
3rd-scale step) 8:37
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St. Johns Rapids
9:28
• How does Smetana paint the picture of the fast flowing
rapids
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St. Johns Rapids
9:28
• Full orchestra ff with brasses, timpani roll, piccolo, cymbal
crashes
• Strings playing at a pianissimo, with a quick crescendo
• Brass and woodwinds exchange an agitated dialogue, build to
climax, then die out
• Ascending minor scales alternate in the low brass and low
strings in fortissimo
• Jagged, piercing arpeggios in the piccolos
• Dissonant chords
• Timpani rolls and cymbal crashing together insinuate that the
river is getting faster and very swift
• Gradual shortening of the phrase lengths adds to building
intensity
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• Compare this section to Berlioz
The Maldau at it’s widest
10:45
• Full orchestra, river theme in major key.
• Played faster and louder It is now being played in a major key
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The Vysehrad Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBQ0G3Lf
TxM
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11:16
Hymn like tune in brass, slow, then accelerates
Melody is filled by brass and is harmonized by full brass section.
Tempo is now broad while still at a fortissimo
Violins and harps play
Smaller yet noticeable crescendos build and slowly decrescendo.
We are nearing the ending of the piece and the artist has made this apparent. It is
as if the river is starting to calm again as we are closing
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Moldau disappears majestically
in the distance
12:18
• The final decrescendo is made here, playing at a pianissimo.
• Full orchestra for the chords play the ending piece in a
fortissimo.
• The river is no more and we have ended our journey, our trip of
the river through the countryside and its many changes.
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Useful Sites
• Piano Arrangement –
https://au.pinterest.com/pin/225531893817547366/
Other listening
• Danube Waltz
• Yellow River Concerto – Xian
• Beethoven’s picturesque Symphony No. 6, the
“Pastoral,” with it’s flowing stream and mighty
thunderstorm.
• Water Music – Handel
• Song of the Volga Boatmen
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