Dolní Slivno wood sprites and water goblins dance in Dvořák's 'Rusalka'

It’s the last, cold day of January, and the 23 wiggly, giggly kids from the Dolní Slivno Elementary School don’t know it yet, but in a few minutes they will magically transform into wood sprites, water goblins, and an orchestra to perform scenes from Dvořák’s opera Rusalka.

It starts with a quick tour through the museum exhibition on Antonín Dvořák: the students, age 9 to 11, strum a zither, answer the museum guide’s questions (“What’s this?” “An old telephone!” “Did Dvořák have a mobile?” “Noo!!”), and examine costumes from the opera.

They do it all under the careful, watchful eyes of their teachers, Markéta Vondráková and Pavlina Součková, who of course have major help from the field trip’s “conductor,” Radmila Habánová, musicologist of the National Museum. The 90-minute excursion into Dvořák’s life and work is taking place right in the middle of the current Dvořák Exhibition at the Czech Museum of Music.

They discover Dvořák’s love of trains and stare open-mouthed at the Indian costume representing some of the native people the composer met in America. They giggle at the cap and gown Dvořák wore to accept an honorary degree from Cambridge. For the kids, pulling a mysterious handle to experience the wheezing of a pump organ is another major attraction of the day.

Wood sprites do their fairy ring dance around the sleeping water goblins as the orchestra (right) performs in 'Rusalka'

Three boys are selected to be water goblins; they put on green hats with red ribbons. The girls fasten sheer curtains to their hair and practice being wood sprites. The rest of the students are thrilled to get noise-makers from rattles to finger cymbals to tambourines: this is the orchestra.

Under Mrs Habánová’s direction, the students perform a quickie version of the story, accompanied by the music on CD and percussion from the orchestra. After the exhilaration of the fairy dance and the march, they quickly settle down and lay on the floor to watch the darkened, long, narrow ceiling. Mrs Habánová shines a focused flashlight beam to simulate the Moon slowly moving across the night sky as the famous Dvořák aria plays.

When the aria finishes, she switches on the lights again, the kids are rousted – and they’re actually disappointed, as their soft grumbles show. Each boy and girl will somehow remember the special feeling created by this aria for a very long time.

Antonín Dvořák and his pals

But he stands with quiet dignity as the other students gather around him to pose for their portrait with the immortal composer.

Somehow, they will remember. — oo

– Mary Matz

The book gives readers a humanized glimpse into the composer's life and works

Bedřich Smetana, Na Cestě z Litomyšle/On the Way from Litomyšl
Olga Mojžíšová, Radmila Habánová, Hana Klimešová, Jan Pikna
2009, Smetanova Litomyšl, publisher
94 pgs, paperback, 50 kč
In Czech and excellent English

This is a handy little book to add to your library, whether or not your collection contains information on classical music and composers.

To read this book review click on Re:Source at the top of the page.

The book gives readers a humanized glimpse into the composer's life and works

Bedřich Smetana, Na Cestě z Litomyšle/On the Way from Litomyšl
Olga Mojžíšová, Radmila Habánová, Hana Klimešová, Jan Pikna
2009, Smetanova Litomyšl, publisher
94 pgs, paperback, 50 kč
In Czech and excellent English

This is a handy little book to add to your library, whether or not your collection contains information on classical music and composers.

After all, these days if you want to know about a composer, a quick flick through the internet will tell you even more than you want to know (and depending on the website, some of what is hard to believe). So why invest in a book?

Because in just a small, nearly pocket-sized format, the most important information about the Czech composer’s life is presented by Smetana museum authors in a well-written, interesting yet non-academic style. It’s supplemented with photos of Smetana, his family, and the main places he lived.

The book opens with a biography, which includes not just the chronology of his life, but also interesting information about the main events and historical influences on the composer and his work. That can help you connect a period of history, musical style, or specific event with a particular composition, adding to its appreciation.

The next section is devoted to warm, human stories and anecdotes about Smetana when he lived in the town of Litomyšl, where he was born. It’s fun to imagine his mother dancing at a ball until almost midnight, and then giving birth to Bedřich at 10 o’clock the next morning, for example.

The final section of On the Way from Litomyšl contains photos and descriptions of historical buildings, monuments, and museum exhibits of home furnishings related to Smetana in his home town. If you like to study old news photographs, you’ll particularly enjoy this section.

A clean layout and readable style invite the reader in

The dual languages are cleanly and cleverly presented, with the Czech text on the left side of each page. The designers clearly thought about the distraction of readers hunting for their appropriate language, though. They solved this annoying dilemma by placing the English on the right side of each page consistently, and including of a small colored bar above each column of English text.

Additionally, it seems that the complete Czech text is included in English, not just excerpts. Another bravo for the authors.

Bedřich Smetana, Na Cestě z Litomyšle/On the Way from Litomyšl can be purchased at the Smetana Litomyšl offices in that town, or ordered through their internet shop by clicking on eshop on their website, http://festival.smetanovalitomysl.cz. — oo

– Mary Matz