Beginers' guide to program music
Funny Fact about The Moldau
Background of River Theme
One reason that The Moldau becomes so popular is that Smetana has highly shown his nationalism, his love of Bohemia, through the piece, while the popular tune in The Moldau acts as the river theme. Yet, this praising melody is originally a tune from a Swedish folk music. You might be surprised why it is being put in the piece.
Why is the tune come from Swedish folk music?
The history of the River Theme could be traced back to Smetana’s background. He had been teaching in Sweden for one year before he composed The Moldau. Therefore, it becomes a part in his piece.
National Anthem of the State of Isarael
The destiny of the River Theme
This well-known tune doesn’t only appear in The Moldau and Swedish folk tune. What’s more, it also appears in a collection of Eastern Romanian Songs and further became the national anthem of the State of Israel in 1948. Though we could find all this information through books and Internet, yet, according to Taruskin, there are no origins and no destinations in such histories, only stages. Therefore, even with these fun fact and histories, it still would not affect our enjoyment to the music itself.
Swedish Folk Music
River theme in
The Moldau
Eastern Romania Songs
National Anthem of the State of Israel
