Goward (now Mrs. Keeley), where he was attacked by typhus fever, and died, Nov. 23 [App. p.794 "Nov. 27"], 1823. His son
Henry Smart, a prominent member of the modern English School, was born in London Oct. 26, 1813, and after declining a commission in the Indian army, was articled to a solicitor, but quitted law for music, for which he had extraordinary natural faculties, and which he studied principally under W. H. Kearns, though to a great extent self-taught. In 1831 he became organist of the parish church of Blackburn, Lancashire, which he resigned in 1836. While at Blackburn he composed his first important work, an anthem for the tercentenary of the Reformation, in 1835. In 1836 he settled in London as organist to St. Philip's Church. In 1844 he was appointed to the organ of St. Luke's, Old Street, where he remained until 1864, when he was chosen organist of St. Pancras. He was an excellent organ-player, specially happy as an accompanist in the service, a splendid extemporiser, and a voluminous and admirable composer for the instrument. But his compositions were by no means confined to the organ. In 1855 an opera from his pen, 'Bertha, or, The Gnome of the Hartzburg,' was successfully produced at the Haymarket. In 1864 he composed his cantata, 'The Bride of Dunkerron' (his best work), expressly for the Birmingham Festival. He produced two cantatas, 'King Rene's Daughter' (words by Enoch), 1871, and 'The Fishermaidens,' both for female voices. An opera on the subject of 'The Surrender of Calais,' the libretto by Planché, originally intended for Mendelssohn, was put into his hands by Messrs. Chappell, about 1852, but though considerable progress was made with it, it was never completed. A sacred cantata, 'Jacob'—words compiled by Mr. McCaul—was written for the Glasgow Festival, produced Nov. 10, 1873, and repeated Nov. 7, 1874; and two large anthems for solos, chorus, and organ were written for the Festivals of the London Choral Choirs Association at St. Paul's in 1876 and 1878—'Sing to the Lord,' and 'Lord thou hast been our refuge.' For many years past Mr. Smart's sight had been failing, and soon after 1864 he became too blind to write. All his compositions after that date therefore were committed to paper—like those of another great ornament of the English School, Mr. Macfarren—through the truly disheartening process of dictation.
It is as a composer of part-songs and a writer for the organ that Henry Smart will be known to the future. His earlier part-songs, 'The Shepherd's Farewell,' 'The Waves' Reproof' (worthy of Mendelssohn), 'Ave Maria,' are lovely, and will long be sung; and his organ pieces (many of them published in the Organist's Quarterly Journal) are full of charming melody and effective combinations. As was his music so was the man—not original, but highly interesting, and always full of life and vigour. He was a very accomplished mechanic, and had he taken up engineering instead of music, would no doubt have been successful. As a designer of organs he was often employed, and those at Leeds and Glasgow may be named as specimens of his powers in this line. He edited Handel's 13 Italian duets and 2 trios for the Handel Society.
His health had for several years been very bad, and cancer on the liver gave him excruciating agony. In June 1879 the Government granted him a pension of £100 a year in acknowledgment of his services in the cause of music, but he did not live to enjoy it, dying July 6, 1879. His last composition was a Postlude in E♭ for the organ, finished very shortly before the end. His life has been written by his friend Dr. Spark (Reeves, 1881), and the book will always be interesting, though it might perhaps have been more usefully arranged, and more accurately printed.
Charles Frederick, a younger brother of Sir George Smart, was brought up as a chorister at the Chapel Royal,and afterwards became a double-bass player in all the principal orchestras.
SMETANA, Friedrich, born March 2, 1824, at Leitomischl in Bohemia, between Olmütz and Prague, was a pupil of Proksch at Prague, and afterwards, for a short time, of Liszt, under whose tuition he became a remarkable pianist. He then opened a musical school of his own at Prague and married Katharina Kolàr. In 1856 he took the post of conductor to the Philharmonic Society at Gothenburg in Sweden, where he lost his wife in 1860. In 1866 he became conductor to the National Theatre of Prague. He is eminently a Bohemian composer, and the list of his operas in that language is large—'Married for money'; 'The Brandenburger in Bohemia'; 'Dalibor'; 'Two widows'; 'The Kiss.' Also a symphonic poem, entitled 'Mein Vaterland,' in 3 sections—'Vysehrad' (the Visegrad fortress), 'Vltava' (the Moldau), and 'Libussa.' The first two of these, very picturesque and striking pieces, were performed at the Crystal Palace on Nov. 11, 1882, and March 5, 1881, respectively. Smetana has also published a quartet, many dances, and other pianoforte pieces, etc. In 1874 he was compelled to give up the National Opera-house on account of his deafness, which has since in-creased so far as to deprive him of all power of hearing. But he still composes. One of his claims to notice is that he was the teacher of Dvorshák. [App. p.794 "Among his works mention should be made of the symphonic poems 'Wallensteins Lager,' 'Richard III,' and 'Hakou Jarl,' as well as of his successful 'Lustspielouverture' brought out shortly before his death, which took place May 12, 1884."]
A medallion with an inscription in his honour was recently affixed to the house in which Smetana was born, on which occasion there were great festivities, and he was presented with the freedom of the town.
SMETHERGELL, William, a pianist in London, was author of 'A Treatise on Thorough bass,' 1794, and composer of some sonatas and other pieces for the pianoforte, and six overtures for Vauxhall Gardens. He was organist of St. Margaret on the Hill, Southwark,. and Allhallows, Barking.
SMITH, Charles, born in London in 1786, was in 1796 admitted a chorister of the Chapel
