This book reveals Czech composer Bedřich Smetana as a dynamic figure whose mythology has been rewritten time and again to suit shifting political perspectives.

The author has for many years interested himself in Czech music and is well known for his research on Dvorak. He unravels the complex strands of the controversies to which Smetana's work gave rise, and with the help of quotations from letters and documents presents a portrait of the man and a balanced assessment of his works. He convincingly demonstrates that it is the operas that form the central core of Smetana's creative achievement. Appendices include a complete catalogue of works and a select bibliography.

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