Quartet in E minor (From My Life) played by the Catterall String Quartet
When Smetana composed his Quartet in E minor, Aus meinem Leben ', he said he intended that the form should not follow orthodox procedure, but should be the outcome of the subject, the subject being ' The story of my life '.
The first movement portrays his early days-his love of art, romantic disposition, and yearnings. The second suggests memories of his gay youth. The third ' recalls the bliss of my first love for a girl who afterwards became my faithful wife ', and the fourth depicts the joy of creating a national music, but ends on a sad note, a' glimpse into the melancholy future and the beginning of his deafness.