Dvorak and Smetana Stamps: Creating a Czech National Music

This post is about the set of four 1951 Czechoslovakian Dvorak and Smetana stamps. The two composers celebrated traditional Czech folk music, combining elements of it with classical forms and harmonic structures. In the process, they created a new Czech musical style.

I am fond of making the point that postage stamps are political documents, and the people and institutions they feature usually carry a message. Cultural, and specifically artistic, figures also send a message to both the citizens of a country and to the broader world.

The choice of a composer may have a variety of messages. First, the selection of such a composer may be about national pride. Many countries with a long musical tradition celebrate favorite composers. For example, the first country to issue stamps with composer was Austria in 1922. That series featured such geniuses as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, among others and were a reminder of Austria’s musical heritage. Countries such as Italy, Poland, and Germany, to name a few, followed suit.

Secondly, the selection of a composer also reminds other nations of the artistic sophistication of a country. The United States issued stamps of composers in 1940, which in part was about proving it was the equal of Europe.

Finally, there is a third reason countries like to feature composers (or certain composers) on stamps. Often, a popular composer writes music that creates a national style. Such music can become a part of the patriotism of a country. A couple of examples on this blog include Hubert de Blanck of Cuba, and Occide Jeanty of Haiti. The Dvorak and Smetana stamps from Czechoslovakia are additional examples.

Bedrich Smetana and Czech National Music

Czechoslovakia was a Cold War country that included the lands that are now The Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech area of the country was dominated by Bohemia and the city of Prague. For hundreds of years, the greatest musicians of Europe had made their way to Prague with great success. Mozart loved Prague and premiered his opera Don Giovanni there in 1787.

However, unlike other countries in Europe, there was not a particular musical style of music that typified a Czech school. That changed in the 19th century.

Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) was born in Bohemia and was a child piano prodigy, giving his first concert at the age of six. He participated in the Prague uprising in 1848, when Bohemians attempted to gain independence from the Austrian Empire. The uprising was defeated and Smetana left to take a position in Gothenburg, Sweden.

A liberalized political climated allowed Smetana to return to Prague in 1862. Inspired by Mikhael Glinka, who wrote Russian operas based on Russian topics, Smetana turned his attention to composing operas. He presented two of his operas in 1866, both in Czech and with stories based in the country. He went on to write eight operas in total, including several based on Czech legends such as Libuše, and Dalibor. Most important is his opera The Bartered Bride. It became a tremendous success and for many years was the only Czech opera presented internationally. He includes music based on traditional Czech dance forms including the polka and furiant. He also wrote a famous symphonic poem known as The Moldau that evokes the sound of the Czech countryside and particularly the scenery along the course of the Vltava river.

Antonin Dvorak

The Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) was born in the town of Nelahozeves near Prague. He was the son of an inkeeper, who also played the zither professionally. Antonin grew up immersed in Bohemian culture and folk music, and began playing violin in primary school. When he was thirteen years old, his parents sent him away to live with his uncle where he could study German. His tutor also taught him piano, organ, and violin, and music theory. In 1857, Dvorak went to Prague to study at the organ school there.

Unable to win an organ position after graduation, Dvorak played violin in the Prague Provisional Theater Orchestra for more than a decade. While his pay was meager, he was able to teach and begin to compose. Dvorak became the organist at St. Adalbert’s church in 1871 and over the next few years, his compositions began to gain ever greater attention in Prague. In 1874, he entered a composition concert that gave assistance to struggling composers. Unbeknownst to Dvorak, Johannes Brahms was one of the judges. Dvorak won the prize and received grant monies through the competition for several years. With the assistance of Brahms and other judges, Dvorak’s music became well known throughout Europe.

Dvorak also wrote in a nationalist style, taking inspiration from both Czech and Slovak sources. He based many of his pieces on traditional dance forms, and utilized specific rhythmic patterns. In addition, his melodies were often based on pentatonic (five-note) scales, which are commonly found in folk music all over the world. Some of his first great musical successes were pieces titled Moravian Duets and Slavonic Dances.

Dvorak and Smetana Stamps

Although there are four stamps in this 1951 Czech set, there are only two designs. There are two stamps of Antonin Dvorak and two of Bedrich Smetana. The Dvorak stamps have the values 1.00 and 2.00 Czechoslovakian korunas, while the Smetana stamps carry the denominations of 1.50 and 3.00 korunas. While the stamps are all in a monotone color, they are slightly different colors. The Dvorak stamps are a light brown and dark violet brown, while the Smetana stamps are a green-gray and violet. The designs are by Karel Svolinsky (1896-1986) and Jindra Schmidt (1897-1984).

Dvorak in America

Dvorak became famous throughout Europe and in North America, which introduced Czech folk music to an international audience. In 1892, he was hired to become of the head of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, because he was paid twenty-five times his salary at the Prague conservatory.

Dvorak was asked to come to the United States not just because of his great fame, but also because he was a composer of nationalist music. Americans hoped that he would help to develop an American national music identity, just as he had done in Bohemia. Ironically, Dvorak did write great music based on tunes that he heard in the United States, particularly music of Native and African Americans. However, American racism led many to criticize him for celebrating these “inferior” music traditions.

For a taste of the Czech national compositional style of Dvorak, enjoy this performance of the Slavonic Dance Number One.