Die Moldau - Prague

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, lives around Vltava river (Moldau in German and many other Germanic languages, Moldva in Hungarian, unrelated to the Moldova river of Romania). Those who like architecture of old towns go for a walk along the river, starting at the Dancing House, continuing to the Rudolfinum, enjoying beautiful views of Prague's castle and bridges and all its stunning historic building on the other side.
Between 1874 and 1879 the Czech composer Bedøich Smetana composed a set of six symphonic poems called 'Má vlast' (traditionally translated as 'My Country', though more strictly meaning 'homeland'). One of these pieces is 'Vltava' also known by its German name 'Die Moldau'. It is Smetana's most famous tune, about 12 minutes long and written in E minor.
Smetana used tone painting to evoke the sounds of one of Bohemia's great rivers. In his own words: The composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs, the Cold and Warm Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current, the course of the Vltava through woods and meadows, through landscapes where a farmer's wedding is celebrated, the round dance of the mermaids in the night's moonshine, on the nearby rocks loom proud castles, palaces and ruins aloft. The Vltava swirls into the St John's Rapids; then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the Vyšehrad, and then majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Labe (or Elbe, in German).
The symphonic poem is an adaptation of the melody 'La Mantovana', attributed to the Italian renaissance tenor Giuseppe Cenci (also known as Giuseppino), which, in a borrowed Moldovan form, was also the basis for the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah. The tune also appears in major in an old folk Czech song 'Koèka leze dírou '("The Cat Crawls Through the Hole") and Hans Eisler used it for his "Song of the Moldau".

© CT-Graphics - Christine Till

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Vltava river in Prague - Tricky laziness

The Vltava (Moldau) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running north from its source near the Austrian Border in Šumava through Èeský Krumlov, Èeské Budìjovice, and Prague, merging with the Elbe at Mìlník. As it runs through Prague the river is crossed by 18 bridges. It covers 31 km within the city. The Vltava has long been seen as an industrial dumping ground in Prague. After 1989, that slowly began to change. The Vltava is now safe for swimming, fishermen say new species are returning to the river, and once again Prague lives around Vltava, both banks showing beautiful buildings embracing the river. But flood protection kept being neglected. With good reason both the Czech name Vltava and the German name Moldau originate from the old Germanic words 'wilt ahwa' ("wild water"). The river's calm, langourous journey through the city belies the raging torrents that can be produced when floodwaters hit from further upriver. In August 2002 a cathastrophic flood of the Vltava killed several people and caused massive damage and disruption along its length. From that destruction, however, came a rebirth and a commitment by the city of Prague to protect its riverside areas by building a flood barrier, fixed walls and embankments as well as mobile walls.

© CT-Graphics - Christine Till

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