Smetana composed the Moldau as a lyrical poem concerning the river Moldau that flows through his homeland. The melody itself is formed in a way that illustrates the pattern and flow of the river. In its opening, the winds are blowing swiftly back and forth like a pair of small rivers do. As instruments are layered in, the parts as the rivers join and flow into the large river. The melody stays as if one is moving down the river and observing a marriage on the shores, seeing mermaids trip in the moonlight, viewing castles and palaces, and then following the river fade.
