Which composer wrote the symphonic poem The Moldau, depicting the course of a Czech river?

Bedřich Smetana wrote the symphonic poem The Moldau, depicting the course of a Czech river. Its Czech title is Vltava, and it is the second movement of Má vlast, a cycle of six symphonic poems about Bohemia’s landscape, history, and legends.

The music follows the river imaginatively from its two source streams through forests and countryside, past a village wedding, through rapids, and onward toward Prague. A broad central melody represents the river itself, making the work especially memorable even for listeners unfamiliar with the full cycle.

Smetana composed Vltava in 1874, while he was losing his hearing. The piece was first performed in Prague in 1875. It later became an important symbol of Czech national culture and one of Smetana’s best-known compositions.

English-language audiences often know the work by the translated title The Moldau, taken from the German name of the river. Vltava is the Czech name, and both titles refer to the same symphonic poem.