Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

'
574 SONG
important factor in music was the national
opera. The first and for a long time the
favonrite opera was written by F. Skroup (or
Skvaup) and the poet Chmelensky. Skroup's
name will, however, be best preserved by his
famous song 'Kde domo^ muj ?' ' ('Where is my
home ?'), which remains to this day the most
popular of Bohemian songs. Between 1823
and 1830 Chmelensky and F. Skroup, together
with Tomasehek and Th. Krov published many
songs. Tomasehek was less successful in his
songs than in his other compositions, but he
was privileged to win Goetlie's approval of his
settings of German words. Amongst Krov's
many songs with Bohemian words his Hussite
song Tesme ' se Mahon ' has become national.^
Yet another stimulus to the cultivation of
native songs was the collection edited by
'
Chmelensky and Skroup entitled Venec
(' The Garland '), which contained songs by
thirty -three Czech composers. Among them
are the names of RuziSka, Drechsler, Vasik (or
Vasak) Skrivan, Tomasehek, F. Kittl, J. Vorel,
Karas, and Rosenkranz, the author of the
popular song Vystavim ' se skromnov ohalonpka'
(' Let us build a modest hut '). In later editions
of the 'Venec' issued by other editors, songs
were added by Suchanek, Stasny, Veit, and
A. Gyrowetz. Again in 1844 the Moravian
composer Ludwig Kitter von Dietrich published
a volume of songs which included his fine
patriotic song
'
Morava, Moravi6ka mila.
Among other song-writers there may be cited
the names of Zvonar, Proehazka, J. N. Skroup,
Kolesovsky, Zelenski, K. Slavik, F. Laub,
E. Napravnik, Shukersk^, Voja&k, and V.
Zavertal. To sum up the general characteristics
of their songs, they may be described as a
flowing and clear cantilena, recalling to mind
the traits of Italian song. Their harmony and
rhythm are very simple ;
and their sentiment
and humour have the grace of spontaneity. By
their own people these songs are dearly
cherished, but in the scale of musical compositions
their intrinsic worth is slight.
F. Smetana was the first to reproduce in his
own original works the true Bohemian spirit,
and mostly so in his national operas and symphonic
poems. In the latter he has used many
old folk-songs, and one called Tabor ' ' is really
a splendid polyphonic fantasia on the Hussite
battle-song. Nor are the national songs forgotten
in A. Dvorak's music. In the overture
called Husitska ' ' he introduces the St. Wenoelas
and the Hussite hymns ; and in another called
'
Mein Heim ' he has made use of Kde domov
'
muj ' as thematic material. Dvofak, W. Blodek,
Kozkosny, Sebor, Hfiraaly, Karel Bendl, and
Reznicek have tried to carry the merry humorous
1 Thia iB the blind fiddler's aong which Sliroup wrote for J. Tyra
mnslcal play jPiiiloiacTcii, in IS-'H
2 ThiB flomewTiat commonplace song containe a chorale in the
middle, and hjia been nsed by Liazt, Balfe (in '
the Bohemian Girl '1
'
and others. (In Kappey's Songs of Eastern Europe ' the date 1460
Is wrongly given.)
spirit of the Bohemian peasant into their music,
and the beauty of Bendl's and Dvorak's tender
yet brilliant gipsy -songs is incontestable.
Antonin Dvorak is the most Slavonic and the
least German of Czech composers. He betrays
in his songs both the merits and the defects
of his nationality and origin. He has all the
Czech wealth of ideas, freshness of invention,
and spontaneity of melody, but is somewhat
lacking in self-control and inteUectual grasp.
The simplicity of his themes shows that the
folk-songs of his childhood influenced the whole
tone of his music ; and his greatest works
(such as the Stabat Mater, in which the solo
numbers are unmistakably national in origin)
are those in which he spoke in the idiom of his
own country. Perhaps the most beautiful of
his songs, after the already mentioned Zigeimerlieder,
op. 55, are the four songs, Im ' Volkston,'
op. 73, and the seven Liebeslieder, op. 83.
In these we find richness of harmonic colour
and bold, unexpected modulations combined
with the simplest and most naive tunes.
Thoughout his songs we can trace a close and
intimate sympathy with Franz Schubert, of
whose works he made a special study. Z.
Fibich's few published songs, on the other hand,
clearly show the influence of Schumann in their
delicate refined workmanship.
The extraordinary development of Bohemian
music during the last forty or fifty years is
mainly owing to the enthusiasm ofmodem Czech
composers for their country's melodious folksongs
and merry dances. And if a Bohemian
school of music can now be said to exist, it is
as much due' to the peasant as to the conscious
efforts of Bendl, Smetana, Fibich, A. Stradal,
and Dvofak. For every peasant in Bohemia is a
real music-lover, and in this country at least it
is not likely that the folk-songs will ever die out.
BlBLIOGKAPHr
Articles in Bohemian newspaper Malibor, and I/tterdmi priloha,
1860-65. L. Zvona*.
Melis, E. Suh/miache ifwnk.
Articles in Die Oeaterreich, - tmga/rigche itotuarcMe ; BShmen ;
(a) VtHTalied und Tanz dee Slamen. : (6) Musik in Bohmen, by
O. Hostinsky. 1894-96.
Maurice, B. Bohemia from the earliest times, ti\>a. London, 1896.
Soubies, A. Sistoire da la Uueiipie. BohSme. Paris, 1898.
Geschiehte det vorhuegitischen Qesanges im BBfanen (pub. by the
Kgl. bdhmlache Geaellschalt). Prague, 1904.
Batka, K. Geschiehte der MusOc in Bohmwin (still appealing) 1st voL
Prague, 1906.
Collections
Kamaryta, J. W. ' Ceaki narodnl duchownj Plsn6.'
Ritter von £ittersbei-g. ' Moravian Songs.' 1835.
Pra^e, 1832.
Krolmus and Diaborad. Collection, 184B-47.
Erben, K. J. ' PjsnS n&rodnj w cechdch.' Prague. 1862-69.
Susil. F. 'MoravskfiNarodni PSsni.' Bmnn, 1853-60.
Berggreen, A. P. 'Folke-Sange og Melodier.' Stockholm, 1866.
Zahn, J. 'DiegelstlichenLiederderBrUder inBahmen.' Nuremberg,
1876.
Zahorsky, P. ' Cesk^ch ndrodniSh pisni ' (no words). Brunswick,
1884.
MalJlt, Jan. ' Cesk^ nArodnl Poklad.' Prague, 1885-95.
Fjrben, K. J. 'Chanaona tcfadqnes populaires.' Prague, 1886.
BartoS, F. ' Nircdni pisnB moravskd.' Brunn, 1889.
Hruschka, A., and Toiacher. W. 'Deutsche Volkalleder aus
B5hmen.' Prague, 1891,
Swoboda. 'DifcS Vlasti, 100 Cesky