Bartered Bride, The, is a comic folk opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana (see Smetana, Bedrich ). In Czech, its title is Prodana nevesta. Karel Sabina, a Czech nationalist poet, wrote the libretto (text) for the opera. Smetana himself conducted the first performance, at the Prague Provisional Theatre, on May 30, 1866.
Loading the player...The Bartered Bride Overture
The Bartered Bride is set in a Bohemian village in the 1800’s. The parents of a young girl, Marenka, have agreed with the local marriage broker Kecal that she must marry a man she has never seen, Vasek, the son of Tobias Micha. Vasek turns out to be a simpleton with a stammer. Marenka really loves Jenik. Marenka persuades Vasek to reject her, but in the meantime Jenik, after much cajoling, accepts money from Kecal to give up Marenka. Jenik does, however, insist that Marenka must marry Micha’s eldest son—who, as far as Kecal knows, is Vasek.
During a visit by a traveling circus, Vasek falls in love with a dancer called Esmeralda. Near the end of the opera, it is revealed that Jenik is Micha’s son from a previous marriage. So by outsmarting Kecal and the others, Jenik not only can marry Marenka but also can keep Kecal’s money.
Smetana made five versions of The Bartered Bride. The first three of them were in two acts. The final three-act version is a lively and tuneful spectacle that features Czech folk music and folk dances. It has become Smetana’s most popular stage work. In addition, the overture has become a familiar concert piece for orchestra.
