From My Native Land: By Smetana

From My Native Land (Two Duets for Violin and Piano) ** By Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) ** Edited by Milan Pospisil. Violin. Henle Music Folios. Pages: Score = V and 20 * Vl Part = 4. Softcover. 28 pages. G. Henle Verlag #HN756. Published by G. Henle Verlag.

They are in a light style, intended more for use in the home than for concert performance. Thus Smetana described these two duets in which he memorialized his Bohemian homeland. It is a fact, though scarcely believable, that Smetana had by this time already been deaf for two years. The pieces were popular from the outset: Smetana was able to demand a high price for them, and even to play off several aspiring publishers against each other. The duets are not technically over-demanding, and attract by means of their joyful character and powerful melodies.