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Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. Internationally he is known for his opera The Bartered Bride, and for the symphonic cycle Má vlast ("My Fatherland") which portrays the history, legends and landscape of the composer's native land. A gifted pianist, Smetana studied music under Josef Proksch in Prague. In 1866 his first two operas, The Brandenburgers in Bohemia and The Bartered Bride, were premiered at Prague's Provisional Theatre, the latter achieving great popularity. Factions within the city's musical establishment interfered with his creative work, and may have hastened his health breakdown. By 1874, Smetana had become completely deaf but, freed from his theatre duties and the related controversies, he began a period of sustained composition. His contributions to Czech music were increasingly recognised and honoured, but a mental collapse in 1884 led to his incarceration in an asylum, and his subsequent death. Smetana's reputation as the father of Czech music has endured in his homeland, where advocates have raised his status above that of his contemporaries and successors. (more...)

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 <div style="float:left;margin:0.5em 0.9em 0.4em 0">[[File:Bedrich Smetana.jpg|100px|Photograph of Bedřich Smetana]]</div>
-'''[[Bedřich Smetana]]''' (1824 - 1884) was a [[Czechs|Czech]] composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music. Internationally he is best known for his opera ''[[The Bartered Bride]]'', and for the symphonic cycle ''[[Má vlast]]'' ("My Fatherland") which portrays the history, legends and landscape of the composer's native land. Smetana was naturally gifted as a pianist, and gave his first public performance at the age of six. After his conventional schooling, he studied music under [[Josef Proksch]] in [[Prague]]. In 1866 his first two operas, ''[[The Brandenburgers in Bohemia]]'' and ''The Bartered Bride'', were premiered at Prague's new [[Provisional Theatre (Prague)|Provisional Theatre]], the latter achieving great popularity. Factions within the city's musical establishment interfered with his creative work, and may have hastened the health breakdown which precipitated his resignation from the theatre in 1874. By the end of 1874, Smetana had become completely deaf but, freed from his theatre duties and the related controversies, he began a period of sustained composition that continued for almost the rest of his life. His contributions to Czech music were increasingly recognised and honoured, but a mental collapse early in 1884 led to his incarceration in an asylum, and his subsequent death. Smetana's reputation as the founding father of Czech music has endured in his native country, where advocates have raised his status above that of his contemporaries and successors. ('''[[Bedřich Smetana|more...]]''')
+'''[[Bedřich Smetana]]''' (1824–1884) was a [[Czechs|Czech]] composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. Internationally he is known for his opera ''[[The Bartered Bride]]'', and for the symphonic cycle ''[[Má vlast]]'' ("My Fatherland") which portrays the history, legends and landscape of the composer's native land. A gifted pianist, Smetana studied music under [[Josef Proksch]] in [[Prague]]. In 1866 his first two operas, ''[[The Brandenburgers in Bohemia]]'' and ''The Bartered Bride'', were premiered at Prague's [[Provisional Theatre (Prague)|Provisional Theatre]], the latter achieving great popularity. Factions within the city's musical establishment interfered with his creative work, and may have hastened his health breakdown. By 1874, Smetana had become completely deaf but, freed from his theatre duties and the related controversies, he began a period of sustained composition. His contributions to Czech music were increasingly recognised and honoured, but a mental collapse in 1884 led to his incarceration in an asylum, and his subsequent death. Smetana's reputation as the father of Czech music has endured in his homeland, where advocates have raised his status above that of his contemporaries and successors. ('''[[Bedřich Smetana|more...]]''')
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