Bedřich Smetana grew up under the Austrian domination of Bohemia, and the 1848 revolutions fueled his nationalistic feelings. Czech radicals fought hard for political freedom and liberation of the serfs, and he was likely among those fighting in the streets. The revolution was put down and followed by harsh repressive measures from Austria, and Smetana ultimately fled to Sweden, where he could pursue his uniquely nationalistic style without scorn or undesirable repercussions. He only returned to Prague in 1862, after Austria had consented to a more liberalized society and more tolerance for the Czech language and culture. Like Beethoven, he lost his hearing completely, but not until he was 50. His most famous work, the cycle of six symphonic poems titled Má vlast (My Country) was composed after he became deaf—an amazing feat. The best known of them, "Vltava" (The Moldau), paints a musical portrait of the Moldau River and the landscapes and people along its banks. Smetana wrote the following about the work:

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).