Vltava - Bedřich Smetana

Vltava (Moldau) – Full Score

📌 Piece Information

Title: Vltava (Moldau) – from Má vlast (My Fatherland), Movement II
Composer: Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884)
Score Pages: 72
Duration: approx. 12'00" (full symphonic poem)

🎼 Instrumentation

This score is transcribed from the original orchestral version. Instrumentation is as follows:

Woodwinds

• Piccolo (Picc.)

• Flute (Fl.)

• Oboe (Ob.)

• B♭ Clarinet (B♭ Cl.) – The original uses C clarinet; this edition uses B♭ clarinet for convenience in MuseScore demonstration. From page 58 onward, there is also an A clarinet section.

• Bassoon (Bsn.)

• Contrabassoon (Cbsn.)

Brass

• Horn in D (D Hn.) + Horn in F (F Hn.) – The original uses two horns in C; this edition uses D/F horns for convenience in MuseScore demonstration. Later sections also include transpositions in E♭, E, F, etc.

• Trumpet in E (E Tpt.) – The original uses C trumpet.

• Trombone (Tbn.)

• Bass Trombone (B. Tbn.)

• Tuba (Tba.)

Percussion

• Timpani (Timp.)

• Triangle (Trgl.)

• Cymbals (Cym.)

• Concert Bass Drum (Con. BD)

Other Instruments

• Harp (Hrp.) × 1

Strings

• Violins I (Vlns.1)

• Violins II (Vlns.2)

• Violas (Vlas.)

• Cellos I (Vcs.1)

• Cellos II (Vcs.2)

• Double Basses (Cbs.)

🎵 About the Piece

Vltava (also known as Die Moldau) is the second and most famous movement of Smetana's symphonic cycle Má vlast. The piece paints a vivid musical picture of the river Vltava as it flows through the Bohemian countryside – from its two spring sources, through forests and meadows (with a hunting scene and a village wedding polka), past Vyšehrad Castle, and finally into the city of Prague.

This edition includes performance markings and structural cues (e.g., "Waldjagd" – hunting scene, "St. Johann-Stromschnellen" – St. John's Rapids, "Vyšehrad Motiv" – Vyšehrad motif) as found in the source materials.

📁 File Format

• PDF format, Conductor’s Score (Full Orchestral Score)

• All parts presented in a single full score – suitable for study, analysis, or conducting practice

⚠️ Important Notice

This score is a personal transcription, not an official published edition. Please note the following:

Transposition Differences: This edition differs from the original (which uses C‑instrument notation) in the following sections:

InstrumentOriginal (Standard Orchestra)This EditionClarinetC ClarinetB♭ Clarinet – with an A clarinet section from page 58 onwardHornC Horn × 2D Horn + F Horn – with additional transpositions (E♭, E, F, etc.) in later sectionsTrumpetC TrumpetE Trumpet

These changes are made primarily to facilitate demonstration using common sound libraries and to accommodate ensembles with non‑standard instrument configurations.

Usage Note: If your ensemble uses the standard symphony orchestra setup (with C clarinet, C horns, and C trumpet notation), please use this score with caution, or refer to an official orchestral edition.

💡 Target Audience

• Conductors and members of concert bands / wind ensembles that use B♭ clarinets

• Clarinetists accustomed to reading transposed parts

• Conducting students for score analysis and conducting practice

• Arrangers seeking a reference edition with B♭ clarinet transposition

• Music theory students analysing Smetana’s orchestration techniques