(1874), The Kiss (1876), The Secret (1878),
and The Devil's Wall (1882) represent the
highest style of the modern comic operas. Each
of these works introduces a charming overture
of a pure musical beauty, classical in form.
Dalibor (1868), a historical-romantic opera,
became a favorite even outside its native land.
The story is based upon a Czech folk-legend
of the fifteenth century, which tells about
a knight, Dalibor, who was a prisoner at the
castle in Prague. He begged his jailor for a
violin to lighten the heavy hours of his captiv-
ity. After a time, it is said, he played with such
marvelous skill that the people came from far
and wide to stand outside the prison walls and
listen to the charming music. Likewise the
libretto to the festival opera Libussa (1881),
is drawn from the Czech history. This work
marks the climax of Smetana's genius, and a
knowledge of it is indispensable to the student
of Czech musical art. The overture to this opera
is a masterpiece of form and festival mode.
It begins with a trumpet call, developed in a
Page:The music of Bohemia.djvu/41
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THE MUSIC OF BOHEMIA
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