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"I grew up in a quiet spot and was saturated from earliest childhood with the wonderful beauty of Russian popular song. I am therefore passionately devoted to every expression of the Russian spirit. In short, I am a Russian through and through!" —PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Key Points

  • Political unrest throughout Europe stimulated nationalism, which in music took many forms (use of folklore, and works written to celebrate national heros, events, or places).
  • Prominent national schools of composers appeared in Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, England, and Bohemia, among other locales.
  • The Bohemian master Bedrˇich Smetana wrote nationalistic music about his homeland, including a set of six symphonic poems entitled My Country. The most famous of these is The Moldau.

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