Bedřich Smetana

Bedřich Smetana (pronounced [ˈbɛdr̝ɪx ˈsmɛtana]; 2 March 1824 - 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer. He is best known for his symphonic poem Vltava (better known as The Moldau), the second in a cycle of six which he entitled Má vlast (My Country), and for his opera Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride). Smetana was the son of a brewer in Litomyšl in Bohemia, then part of the Austrian Empire.