Bedřich Smetana (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbɛdr̝ɪx ˈsmɛtana]; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music. Internationally he is best known for his opera The Bartered Bride and for the symphonic cycle Má vlast ("My Homeland"), which portrays the history, legends and landscape of the composer's native land.
Smetana was naturally gifted as a pianist, and gave his first public performance at the age of six. After his conventional schooling, he studied music under Josef Proksch in Prague. His first nationalistic music was written during the 1848 Prague uprising, in which he briefly participated. After failing to establish his career in Prague, he left for Sweden, where he set up as a teacher and choirmaster in Gothenburg, and began to write large-scale orchestral works. During this period of his life Smetana was twice married; of six daughters, three died in infancy.
Smetana is one of the names for a range of sour creams from Central and Eastern Europe. It is a dairy product produced by souring heavy cream. It is similar to crème fraîche (28% fat), but nowadays mainly sold with 10% to 30% milkfat content depending on the country. Its cooking properties are different from crème fraîche and the lighter sour creams sold in the US, which contain 12 to 16% butterfat. It is widely used in cooking and baking.
Smetana (Smântână in Romania, Pavlaka or Mileram in Balkan countries, Tejföl in Hungary, Schmand/t in German-speaking countries) is also used in other central Central and Eastern European cuisines in appetizers, main courses, soups and desserts. For example, it may be blended with soups, vegetable salads, cole slaw, and meat dishes. It is served with dumplings (pelmeni, pierogi, varenyky), or with pancakes (bliny, naleśniki, oladyi, syrniki). It is also used as a filling in savoury pancakes. Smetana can be blended to a Liptauer-like cheese spread with quark or cottage cheeses, onions, paprika and other spices, and eaten with bread. Smetana is often used in cooking, as it is high enough in fat not to curdle at higher temperatures. It is used in the preparation of meat stews, such as beef Stroganoff, vegetable stews, casseroles, or other dishes that require a long cooking time in the oven. Smetana does not melt in the oven. Hungarian cooks use it as an ingredient in sauces such as paprikas, and in recipes such as palacsinta (crepes) filled with ham or minced meat (Hortobágyi palacsinta).
Smetana often refers to the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.
Smetana may also refer to:
Volvió sin rumbo intentando olvidar.
La pesadilla que vivió sin despertar.
Volvió cargando la gran pena de pensar.
Que desde ahora ya nada sería igual.
Estribillo
Porque vivió tristezas,
porque vivió miserias.
Y es que hoy nada puede hacer.
Buscó ayuda sin poderla encontrar.
Vivió un romance con la dura soledad.
Lloró recuerdos imposibles de olvidar.
Y lleva heridas que ya no van a sanar.
Porque vivió tristezas,
porque vivió miseria.
Y es que hoy nada puede hacer.
Porque vivió violencia,
porque gano pobreza.
Y acaba de perder la fe.
Porque vivió tristezas,
porque vivió violencia.
Y acaba de perder la fe,
porque vivio una guerra,
porque su alma es pena,
porque ya ha pasado el tren.