A FEW DAYS after Smetana's body had been laid to rest in the Vysehrad Cemetery, Prague, Franz Liszt sent word to Karel Navrlitil: 'In haste I write to tell you that the death of Smetana has deeply affected me. He was indeed a genius ' Ironically, with his death Smetana was proclaimed the founder of modern Czech music, but only a few years before he had been spurned, labelled 'Wagnerian' and accused of impeding the way of musical progress. Like Verdi, Smetana was a confirmed patriot. Dramatic music was his platform and his greatest ambition was to see the Prague National Theatre become the...