The Bartered Bride ambitious parents and a scheming marriage broker. The opera was not immediately successful, and was revised and extended in the following four years. In its final version, premiered in 1870, it rapidly gained popularity and eventually became a worldwide success. Czech national opera until this time had been represented only by minor, rarely performed works. This opera, Smetana's second, was part of his quest to create a truly Czech operatic genre. Smetana's musical treatment made considerable use of traditional Bohemian dance forms such as the polka and furiant, and although he largely avoided the direct quotation of folksong he nevertheless
The Bride of Messina The Bride of Messina The Bride of Messina () is a tragedy by Friedrich Schiller; it premiered on 19 March 1803 in Weimar. It is one of the most controversial works by Schiller, due to his use of elements from Greek tragedies (which were considered obsolete at the time it was written). In the play, Schiller attempts to combine antique and modern theatre. It is set in Sicily, at a time when Paganism and Christianity meet, thus again outlining this theme. The work was notably adapted in two operas, "Nevěsta messinská", by composer Zdeněk Fibich (premiered in 1884), and "La