Some of Fibich's works demonstrate the remarkable influence of Mendelssohn (probably through Moscheles and Richter his instructors in piano and harmony) and Bach (counterpoint through Jadassohn). He taught in Vilan for a period of about 4 years and was the director of the National Theatre in Prague from 1878. He was also choirmaster of the Russian Orthodox Church in Prague from about the same time until 1881. After 1881 Fibich primarily made his living from compositions and private teaching. (In toto he composed approxiamtely 600 different pieces.) A truly enigmatic composer, Fibich's music is difficult to categorize. Arguably he was considered among the top three Czech composers (with Smetana and Dvorak) only to be replaced by Janacek; but, the influences upon his work and his own pathos were German. Apart from the early influences, later German influences included Schumann, Liszt, Brahms and Wagner. Fibich developed the melo-drama and devoted himself predominantly to the composition of operas. The genres of his compositions included opera, melodramas, overtures, symphonic poems (preceding Dvorak), tone poems (preceding Smetana), symphonies and chamber music (not to mention a number of church pieces many of which he himself destroyed). "Hippodamia" was a trilogy of melodramas which indicate Fibich's ability to structure and append musical themes through transformations and modulations. The modulations were textured in such a way as to conceal the variance. The melodramatic, burden-laden, melancholic motifs were demonstrative characteristics of Fibich's music and the German influences. Nowhere to be recognized are the Czech qualities of comedic characters often relieving musical and thematic tensions. One of his more important operas, "Sarka", is based on the Czech legend of an Amazon who was the beloved of the chieftain Ctirad. (This thematic device, "Sarka", was also present in Smetana'a "Ma Vlast".) This is the only musical indication towards Czech influences in his later music. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi