“…I value my compositions a bit more highly than the theatre directorate does…” The Frequency of Performances of Smetana’s Operas at the Provisional Theatre and Payment He Received for Them

Pages	6–39
DOI	10.37520/muscz.2023.001
Keywords	Bedřich Smetana, Provisional Theatre, Smetana operas, opera repertoire, diaries, correspondence
Citation	MOJŽÍŠOVÁ, Olga. “…I value my compositions a bit more highly than the theatre directorate does…” The Frequency of Performances of Smetana’s Operas at the Provisional Theatre and Payment He Received for Them. Musicalia. Journal of the Czech Museum of Music / Časopis Českého muzea hudby . Prague: National Museum, 2023, 15(1-2), 6–39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37520/muscz.2023.001. ISSN 1803-7828 (Print), 2533-5634 (Online). Also available from: https://www.nm.cz/en/periodicals/musicalia-journal-of-the-czech-museum-of-music-casopis-ceskeho-muzea-hudby/15-1-2/i-value-my-compositions-a-bit-more-highly-than-the-theatre-directorate-does-the-frequency-of-performances-of-smetanas-operas-at-the-provisional-theatre-and-payment-he-received-for-them

Musicalia. Journal of the Czech Museum of Music / Časopis Českého muzea hudby | 2023/15/1-2

The opera deals with the standing of Smetana’s operas in the repertoire of the Provisional Theatre with respect to the frequency of their performances and the revenue they earned. It is based on a detailed, systematic survey of written sources and especially of Smetana’s diaries, correspondence, repertoire statistics, and other relevant sources. On their basis, there is a presentation of detailed information about the circumstances of performances, frequency of performances, and money earned by Smetana’s individual operas. There follows an attempt to demonstrate the standing of Smetana’s operatic works both overall and for individual operas in the context of Czech opera productions and of the Provisional Theatre’s entire operatic repertoire. Taking into account the financial circumstances of Czech theatre operations, there is also an attempt to answer the question of the extent to which Smetana was justified in his complaints about insufficient numbers of performances of his works.

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