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THE MUSIC OF BOHEMIA
are that people who live in the northwestern part of Hungary, called Slovakia, which with Bohemia forms the present republic and nation of the Czechoslovaks.[1]
Bohemian music is not so well known in America as its artistic value and quality deserve. The reasons why it is not so well known are: first, that it was often classed as German music, since it was printed by German publishers; and secondly, it was handicapped by false criticisms by Germans, who saw in this Bohemian musical enthusiasm a desire to further national aims. It is true that the artistic works of great masters help much to foster racial pride and are great moral supports to national efforts,
- ↑ Unfortunately, the proper term "Bohemian" has been confused with its other meaning, a synonym of the word "Gypsy." Some Gypsies coming from Bohemia to France in the Middle Ages were called "Bohemiens" through a misunderstanding. The British composer Balfe, in the overture to his opera The Bohemian Girl, introduced by mistake a Bohemian (Czech) folk-melody as a characteristic Gypsy tune. See the Allegro theme.
As Gypsies are characterized by their carefree and adventurous life, the term, thus misapplied, assumed an entirely different meaning: a class of people such as would-be artists, or people unhampered by convention.
