Well he started studying it when he was six. His dad was really into music and helped him a lot.
Bedrich Smetana
He wrote and composed the Moldau
a river
A River
Beethoven (1770-1827) continued writing music even though he went deaf in ~1808. Later on, the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana also went deaf, but he continued writing great pieces such as Die Moldau
C. a river. Bedrich Smetana's composition "The Moldau" (or "Vltava" in Czech) is a symphonic poem that depicts the course of the Vltava River as it flows through the Czech countryside. The piece is part of Smetana's larger work, "Má vlast," which celebrates the beauty and history of the Czech lands.
the rivert
The most famous musicians that make polka music are Johann Strauss and his son Johann Strauss the second. Bedrich Smetana and Jaromir Vejvoda are also pretty well known.
At the age of 7, he vaguely remembered 'writing unassisted' music
No, Bedřich Smetana was Czech. He was a prominent Czech composer known for his contributions to Czech music, particularly his opera "The Bartered Bride" and his cycle of symphonic poems "My Country."
The Moldau is a beautiful piece of music which follows the Romantic form in that it is very expressive. Instead of being composed for the purpose of just 'entertainment', the Moldaupaints a picture, showing the journey of the nation's river as it winds through the Bohemian countryside (now Czechoslovakia). It was a nationalistic piece, highlighting the beauty of the river and the countryside, and nationalism was not generally reflected in musical compositions until the Romantic Era. The music gains intensity to reflect the journey of the river, beginning as a quiet stream up in the mountains, until it reaches the ocean, where the music deepens and broadens.
Bedřich Smetana lived during the Romantic era, a period characterized by an emphasis on emotion, individualism, and the glorification of nature and national identity in art and music. He was born in 1824 and died in 1884, and his works often reflect Czech nationalism, contributing significantly to the development of Czech classical music. Smetana is best known for his opera "The Bartered Bride" and the symphonic cycle "Má vlast."