Má vlast, also known in English as My Fatherland, is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czechoslovak composer Bedřich Smetana. The six pieces, conceived as individual works, are often presented and recorded as a single work in six movements. They premiered separately between 1875 and 1880. The complete set premiered on 5 November 1882 in Žofín Palace, Prague, under the direction of Adolf Čech. Each poem of Má vlast depicts an aspect of Bohemia's countryside, history, culture, or legends.
It is the music was used in the episodes He Speaks Music! and Quincy and the Instrument Dinosaurs.
Summary[]
In Season 2[]
In He Speaks Music, The Moldau was used for sing about helping the lost baby chimp find his parents. Additionally, several pieces from Má vlast are used throughout, such as the fourth, fifth and sixth movements.
In Quincy and the Instrument Dinosaurs, The Moldau was used for singing about finding the baby pterodactyl (piccolodactyl) so that he can be reunited with his mommy. Additionally, the fourth and fifth movements are used as music in the background.
Structure[]
Má vlast consists of six individual pieces:
Má vlast[]
- Vyšehrad (The High Castle)
- Vltava (The Moldau)
- Šárka
- Z českých luhů a hájů (From Bohemia's Woods and Fields)
- Tábor
- Blaník
Episode Appearances[]
Season 2[]
Songs adapted from Má vlast[]
Songs adapted from The Moldau[]
He Speaks Music![]
- Baby Chimp is Lost Song
- Mommy-Daddy-Mommy-Daddy Yay
Quincy and the Instrument Dinosaurs[]
- We're Off to Find an Instrument Dinosaur
Trivia[]
- Má vlast combines the symphonic poem form, pioneered by Franz Liszt, with the ideals of nationalistic music of the late nineteenth century.
- The works have opened the Prague Spring International Music Festival, on the 12 May anniversary of the death of their composer, since 1952.
- Má vlast is famous in the Czech Republic due to its national significance.
- The second movement, Vltava (The Moldau) remains the most played movement in the Má vlast symphonic cycle.
