were taught to speak and write only in German; they learned just enough Czech to communicate with peddlers and servants. Smetana learned German at home and in school and struggled to learn the Czech language later in life; it became an important part of his growing nationalism and informed his musical sensibilities. His music is often held as the beginning and premier of distinctively Czech music. Structure The cycle consists of four movements: Allegro vivo appassionato Allegro moderato à la Polka Largo sostenuto Vivace Smetana described the first movement as a romantically driven sketch of his youth as an artist. He also wrote of the movement’s forewarning of the future, as well as a longing for the indefinable. Smetana described the second movement as a polka holding nationalistic tones. The movement depicts his youth as a lover of dance—Smetana held this love from the early age of 6. The third movement was composed as a tribute to his first wife, whom Smetana pronounced his “first love.” The last movement entails Smetana’s loss of hearing and the decay of his health, containing a held E natural which mimicked the ringing in his ears. In his letter, Smetana understood his First Quartet to take on an unconventional form. The work is semi-autobiographical and consists of sketches of periods from Smetana's life, as is suggested by its subtitle Z mého života ("From My Life"). Its notable features include a prominent viola solo at the very beginning of the first movement, and a high, sustained harmonic E on the first violin in the last movement, which represents the ringing in his ears that presaged Smetana's deafness, although the actual ringing was a chord in A-flat major. The prominent viola solo in the first movement, as well as the significant use of viola throughout, uniquely captures the sense of foreboding and the rich romanticism entailed throughout the movement. Use in film The dramatic opening of the first movement was featured in the 1992 film Sneakers at a concert which the characters attend. Orchestral version George Szell orchestrated the piece in the mid-twentieth century to bring it to new audiences. This version is rarely played, but orchestral recordings exist and it was performed at the BBC Proms in 2012. Footnotes See also List of compositions by Bedřich Smetana References Bedřich Smetana: Quartetto I. Mi minore. Z mého života. Score. Prague: Editio Supraphon, 1991. S 7676. External