[HANASHIR:11399] Re: Hatikvah--an initial inquiry.

[NeilNFW <NeilNFW...>]

Not to dispute Adrian and Shimon Cohen, but here is another theory which I 
posited in my college thesis:

Bedrich Smetana, composer of "Vltava," also known as "Die Moldau" spent a great 
deal of time in Sweden, a self-imposed exile after the death of his first wife. 
 Coincidentally or uncoincidentally, he was patronized be the affluent Jewish 
community of Stockholm.

Smetana wrote, late in life, that many of his ideas for "Ma Vlast," the 
symphonic poem, of which "Vltava" is a movement, came from his time in Sweden.  
In fact, the main theme of "Vltava," the lilting melody that sounds like 
"Hatikvah" appears to be derived from the Swedish Folk Song "Ack Varmeland."

Perhaps "Ack Varmeland" and "The Donkey and the Cart" are somehow related as 
well?

Just a thought.

Neil Weinstein
Bellevue, WA



adrian (at) durlester(dot)com writes:

>Noted Israeli composer and arranger Shimon Cohen, who
>taught at Hava Nashira in some earlier years, suggested
>that both the Moldau and Hatikvah are derived from the
>same source, a Rumanian folk tune called "The Donkey
>and the Cart."
>
>Adrian
>
>
>
>
>
>On Tue, 23 April 2002, Martin Vesole wrote
>
>> 
>> Does anyone know why Hatikvah sounds so much like
>Smetana's Die Moldau? Is
>> it a coincidence?
>> 
>> ------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
>-----------------------+
>>