[HANASHIR:4889] Re: hatikvah/Smetana

[NeilNFW <NeilNFW...>]

To add another element to the Smetana/Hatikvah brouhaha:

In the 1850's, Bedrich Smetana, was trying to make his voice heard in the 
musical world.  He had recently been panned by Clara Schumann, one of the 
respected music critics of the day, and was left to compose polkas--the 
national dance of Bohemia.  He wished the polka to create a nationalistic 
spirit in the Czech, but, with the crackdown on political dissidents, Smetana 
was forced to escape Bohemia, and left for Sweden.

In Sweden, he honed his skills and was supported monetarily by the Jewish 
population of Sweden (not sure if that has anything to do with this).

If you care to download the *.gif file enclosed, you will see a comparison of 
the Swedish folk song "Ack, Varmeland," the main theme to "Vltava" (Moldau), 
and the melody line to "Hatikvah."  The rhythm and basic melody are all 
strikingly similar, and you can draw your own conclusions.

This information has been derived from "Nationalism in Music: Dismantling the 
German Monopoly 1810-1957," my senior thesis, written in 1991.  I spent a 
great deal of time with Mr. Smetana (figuratively), and whether all these 
origin theories are true or not, both the "Moldau" and "Hatikvah" are 
wonderful pieces of music

Humbly yours,

Neil Weinstein
Bellevue, WA

"Help me!"  says the beaten horse.

<<attachment: Smetana.gif>>