Czech composer Bedřich Smetana was one of the first important Bohemian composers, considered by many to be the “father of Czech music.” Smetana was greatly influenced by Mozart during his musical studies, but even more so by Franz Liszt. Liszt was supportive of Smetana during his early years as a performer and teacher, and was a noticeable influence on Smetana’s compositional output and musical practices.

Like Beethoven, Smetana became deaf towards the end of his life but nevertheless maintained an impressive compositional output. His struggles with his hearing loss contributed to the mental collapse that ultimately ended in his death in 1884. One of the most well-known of his works composed during this period of deafness was “Vltava,” a symphonic poem depicting the river of the same name. The composer wrote about the work:

“The composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs, the Studená and Teplá Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current, the course of the Vltava through woods and meadows, through landscapes where a farmer's wedding is celebrated, the round dance of the mermaids in the night's moonshine: on the nearby rocks loom proud castles, palaces and ruins aloft. The Vltava swirls into the St John's Rapids; then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the Vyšehrad, and then majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Elbe.”

Vltava is reminiscent of Liszt’s own symphonic poems, single-movement works depicting a poem, painting, or work of nature. In Smetana’s composition, he creates a rich tapestry of the scene, taking the listener along the river, through a forest hunt, past a peasant wedding, and even on a dance through the moonlight.