Throughout the 1870s, Smetana worked diligently on a passion project titled Má vlast (My Country). The work premiered in its entirety in 1882 and contained 6 movements, with each movement tied to various landmarks and legends of his home country of the Czech Republic. The second movement of this suite is often performed as a standalone piece, titled the Moldau. This movement is meant to capture the serpentine flow of the famed river, tracking its course from two mountain springs that ultimately combine into a single, powerful body of water.