Vltava (The Moldau)

B. SmetanaJB 1:112/2 (Má vlast No. 2)

Key

Em

Time

6/8

Tempo

♩=100

AO focus

AO3

Form

Symphonic poem — second of six in 'Má vlast' (My Homeland). Programmatic depiction of the Vltava river's flow from source through forests, peasant wedding, moonlight, rapids, to Prague. Iconic E-minor folk-style theme returns three times.

Teaching points

• Programmatic structure — track each scene the music depicts (printed in concert programmes since 1875)
• Folk-style theme — Smetana's main melody is a Czech folk tune (also known as the 'Hatikvah' melody, used as Israel's national anthem)
• AO3: nationalism in 19th-century music — Smetana's project of building a Czech symphonic tradition
• Modulation: theme appears in E minor, then E major (Prague-arrival apotheosis) — discuss the affective shift