edrich Smetana was born in Litomysl, Bohemia on March 2, 1824 and died of syphilis in a Prague mental institution on May 12, 1884. He is known as the founder of Czech nationalism, especially for his collection of symphonic poems, Ma Vlast and his second opera, The Bartered Bride.

metana's First String Quartet in E minor, subtitled From My Life, is a programmatic narrative of the composer's life. In Smetana's own words, the first movement "depicts my youthful leanings toward art, the Romantic atmosphere, the inexpressible yearning of something I could neither express nor define, and also a kind of warning of (my) future misfortune." By misfortune, he probably meant the deafness which had overtaken him. The second movement is very different, portraying a dance. In his earlier years, Smetana was very involved in dance forms; this movement is meant to recall that time.

he Hartness String Quartet:
Emily Wilson, violin I, is a Junior at Furman and is pursuing a B.A. in Music and French. Sarah Pope, violin II, is a Freshman at Furman and is pursuing a B.A. in Music and Pre-Med. Scott Schilling, viola, is a Senior at Furman and is pursuing a B.M. in Viola Performance. Sarah Fertig, cello, is a Junior at Furman and is pursuing a B.M. in Music Education.

his recording was made in Harper Hall at Furman University on Thursday, May 12, 2000. Four Dynamic microphones were used, one for each instrument. In addition, ceiling microphones provided extra ambiance.

he first step in making this recording was to lay down some carpet (see left--Norm Abrams would be proud). This deadens the reverb from the tile floor. I got the carpet from the hallway behind Harper Hall. Next, I covered the whiteboard in Harper Hall with curtains from the side of the risers (below right). This formed one of the outside walls of a makeshift cubicle.

he other outside wall was formed by two sound-absorbent panels (left and below right) taken from underneath the risers. Those things were heavy...

ext, I set up four dynamic microphones, one for each instrument (left). Back in the seminar room, I panned the cello hard right, the 1st violin hard left, and the second violin and viola in between. I rasied the faders on the ceiling microphones facing the windows in order to get some of the sound of the room. Finally, everything was set and I recorded my tracks onto DAT. Then, I imported my tracks into Peak (by way of Deck), clipped the silence at the beginning and ending of each track, made MP3s, and burned my CD. I sure was tired afterward...