You can see the piano of one of the greatest Czech composers in Prague. I’m talking about Bedřich Smetana, the father of Czech music, who died 140 years ago on this day.
Smetana was a virtuoso pianist who composed many works for his instrument, such as the Piano Trio in G minor, the Polkas, and the Macbeth and the Witches. He also used the piano to sketch his operas, symphonic poems, and other orchestral pieces.
The piano that belonged to Smetana is a precious historical artifact that is displayed in the Smetana Museum, located in a beautiful Neo-Renaissance building on the banks of the Vltava river, near the Charles Bridge.
The piano is a Bösendorfer model from 1876, and it was given to Smetana by his admirers and friends as a gift for his 60th birthday only a couple of months before his death.
The piano is not only a musical instrument, but also a personal memorial of Smetana. It bears his initials and a dedication plaque, and it contains a secret drawer where he kept some of his personal belongings, such as his glasses, his watch, his pen, and his ear bone (Smetana suffered from deafness in his later years).
The piano is one of the highlights of the Smetana Museum, which also exhibits copies of his letters, manuscripts, photographs, and other documents related to his life and work.
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