Romantic Music and Czech Nationalism

 Research Question: To what extent did Romanticism in music contribute to the rise of nationalism in 19th-century Bohemia?

In the 19th century, Bohemia was ruled by the oppressive Austrian Habsburg Empire. During the early 19th-century, the European revolutions gave birth to a new political concept—nationalism. Simultaneously, nationalist movements emerged in Bohemia, aiming to revive the Czech culture (Royde-Smith; Kohn). Alongside, Romanticism appeared in European music. Romanticism consisted of rich emotions, strong narratives, and incorporation of ideas like nationalism (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Romanticism - Music”). The phenomenal coincidence of nationalism and Romanticism led artists to explore novel ideologies and embody them in their works.  In particular, the music world significantly impacted Czech nationalism. Composers Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák utilized Romantic music to convey their nationalist ideas to the public. Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) was a Bohemian composer who popularized Czech nationalist music. Of course, nationalism was somewhat considered radical and rejected by conservatives. Nonetheless, Smetana used music to promote nationalism among the public and rally supporters in Bohemia (Helfert). Likewise, Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was also a prominent Bohemian nationalist composer. Greatly passionate about folk culture and music, Dvořák composed with the Czech cultural elements. Dvořák’s nationalist pieces were well-received by the Czechs, and shortly after by the international community. Dvořák’s Romantic music globalized the horizon of Czech nationalism (Lloyd-Jones). Romanticism in music contributed to the rise of nationalism in 19th-century Bohemia to an unignorable extent by recollecting, reinterpreting, and redistributing the Czech identity.

Nationalist composers rediscovered Czech identities hidden in the Bohemian lifestyle and mundane scenes. Smetana’s Vltava (1874) embodies Smetana’s essence of nationalism with a rich allegory to Czech elements. Smetana mimics folk music and recalls Czech elements in it. In traditional Czech folk music, like Polkas and Furiants, modes (a scale of notes arranged in specific intervals) and rhythms change frequently, giving it its iconic, lively mood of the tunes (L). Vltava is set in E minor, but Smetana uses various forms of modal inflections: transitioning from the original minor key to a major key between phrasings, especially in the “farmer’s wedding scene” following his musical narrative, renders a lively dance at the wedding, an attempt that reenacts the energy and merriness in Polkas that juxtapose against formal, austere Western music. His use of folk elements made his Romantic music stand out among the outmoded Classical music while sounding “unmistakably Czech (Clapham).” Hence, Smetana was one of the pioneers who brought the Czechness scattered in ordinary folk culture into his compositions. Similarly, Dvořák, through Slavonic Dances (1878-1886), recollects Czech cultural roots from the folk dances. The dances were composed upon the request of music publisher Fritz Simrock, requiring the music to be “based upon the music of the composer’s Bohemian homeland (Schwarm).” John Clapham, an English musicologist at the Royal Academy of Music, said, “The repetition of the initial bar or half bar of a phrase [appears throughout the collection]…The Czech folk-song 'Kdyby moje milá’ and the Onion Dance, 'Hop hej! cibuláři', include these features and may be compared with the main theme (Clapham).” Indeed, such “Czech” musical patterns could be observed in the repetitive rhythmical patterns. Tempo changes using duple and triple meters in furiant-style passages, as well as his constant use of hemiola (abrupt, short change in rhythm for rhythmical emphasis), capture the vibrancy of folk dances while presenting in dance forms of Polka, Furiant, Dumka, Sousedská, and Škocná (Schwarm). Dvořák’s dance collection reintroduced the public to the diverse forms of folk dances with the Czech spirit. Therefore, nationalist composers used the lively and freeing quality of Romantic music to rediscover and reintroduce the Czechness to the public.

The newly found Czech identity was reinterpreted by nationalist composers, strengthening and adapting to a more flexible form. Smetana combined traditional musical elements with a nostalgic depiction of nature and people’s daily life, giving life to seemingly plain rhythms and reverberating with the Czech people. Vltava comes from Má Vlast (“My country”), a collection of six symphonic poems that recreate the panorama of nature, villages, and people of Bohemia. Vltava is the longest river in Bohemia, originating from the southwestern Bohemian Forest and flowing through Prague (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Vltava River | River, Czech Republic”). Violinist Josef Nesvadba said, “Here he heard the gentle poetic song of the two rippling streams. Looking around the enchantingly lovely countryside he followed the Otava, accompanying it in spirit to the spot where it joins the Vltava, and within him sounded the first chords of the two motives which intertwine, and increase, and later grow and swell into a mighty melodic stream (Guion).” To elaborate, Smetana emphasized storytelling rather than structure, thus intertwining flute and clarinet solos at the beginning to “audiate” the two headstreams of the Vltava River. Then, using chromatic scale (linear, ascending, and descending collection of notes) and pizzicato (plucking of the strings) to portray the larger streams and occasional ripples. Smetana’s narrative technique was groundbreaking and expressive, blending the Czech musical elements into actual Bohemian scenery. Such illustrative reinterpretation of Czech components was more accessible to the public, which led to a wide public success (Guion). On the other hand, Dvořák reinterpreted musical ingredients by binding them with the Czech language. John Clapham said, “The Czech and Slovak languages differ from other Slavonic languages in having the first syllable of a word stressed. Czech and Slovak prosody require the first syllable of a line of verse to commence at the beginning…A very high proportion of Dvořák’s  themes commence similarly (Clapham).” Indeed, Dvořák’s themes begin on beat without anacrusis (unstressed notes before the first bar) and begin in short, chunky notes. Such motives repeat throughout, which is seen from his use of accents and dynamics at the stressed first notes. As the music progresses, he uses hemiola to shift the emphasis occasionally, giving the music a conversational and lively tone. Dvořák connects the seemingly spontaneous musical forms back to its linguistic roots, reintegrating the two into his music and reinforcing Czech identity in a way that Czechs receive more naturally. In sum, Czech composers, through a romantic depiction of national landscapes and the integration of linguistic and musical structures, reshaped formerly rediscovered Czechness into a more resonant form.

Czech composers ultimately redistributed the redefined Czechness to the public and ultimately gave rise to nationalism. Smetana’s nationalist work prevailed in the Czech music world. Michael Beckerman, professor of Czech and Eastern European music at NYU College of Arts and Sciences, praised Smetana’s legacy on the musical world: “In a sense, Smetana was to the Czech lands what Wagner was to Europe; whether or not composers chose to accept his approach, they were all indebted to him in some way (Beckerman).” In fact, Leoš Janáček, a 20th-century Czech composer, said, “Here is Czechness in music, so palpable that it is even possible to measure it (Beckerman).” Smetana’s legacy was so remarkable that Foerster, Suk, Novák, Martinů, and many other influential composers began composing about their country (Beckerman). Smetana’s influence did not end here; it was nationally endorsed and promoted. According to Musical Times, the largest musical publication of the century, “[Smetana’s pieces were] a work designed for performance on some great national occasion, such as the coronation of Francis Joseph as King of Bohemia or the opening ceremony of the National Theatre in Prague (L).” It can be reasonably inferred that Smetana’s music acquired notable public recognition and a positive reputation that aligned with national figures and events. Hence, Smetana’s nationalistic ideas were widely recognized by the Czechs. Meanwhile, Dvořák also held a great influence on the popularization of Czech music. Suk, a 19th-century Romantic composer, said after hearing Dvořák’s Czech opera Rusalka (1900) (operas were written in German before nationalism, thus operas written in Czech were revolutionary), “I do not bow to anyone, except to my own conscience and to our noble Lady Music...and yet at the same time I know that thereby I serve my country, and praise the great people from the period of our wakening who taught us to love our country (Beckerman).” Similar to the case of Smetana, it could be observed that Dvořák had earned prominent respect and influenced multiple nationalists. Furthermore, Dvořák extended the horizon of national music to a global genre. Dvořák’s early success in Bohemia had opened a global path for him: he started winning awards at composition competitions in Germany and Austria, and his performance in London in 1883 led to frequent performances of his Czech pieces in England, Russia, and the US (Jones). Accordingly, the Czechness was conveyed to a broader international audience, solidifying its reputation and identity on a global stage. Therefore, Romantic Czech composers brought forward their music and ideas into practical, public occasions, spreading and reinforcing Czech identity.

In conclusion, Romantic composers greatly contributed to the rise of nationalism in Bohemia in the 19th century, as they recollected Czech elements, revitalized them into emotive forms, and spread nationalist ideals along with the reawakened Czechness. Nostalgic folk motifs and vigorous Czech spirits were captured in the Czech Romantic composition. Other parts of Czech life, such as the scenery and colloquial characters, were innovatively and cleverly blended with musical principles. Finally, publications led to a realization of the national identity and helped establish the foundation of nationalism in Bohemia. Smetana and Dvořák’s work still thrives today, reminding the world of the rich Czech identity and redesigning the Czechness through countless international performances and interpretations.

Works Cited

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