Antonín Dvořák on Music Theory Print

A Hero's Song

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Instrumentation#

The symphonic poem is scored for an orchestra of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, one tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle and strings. The piece’s instrumentation is significant because it lacks harp, unusual percussion, and nonstandard woodwindsa simpler orchestra than most of Dvořák’s other orchestral works. This is because the piece does not attempt to convey a story, but merely portrays two contrasting moods: despair (during the lacrimosa section) and triumph.

Music#

The new quintet is a mixture of Dvořák’s personal form of expressive lyricism with elements from Czech folk music. Characteristically, those elements include styles and forms of song and dance, but not actual folk tunes; Dvořák created original melodies in the authentic folk style. The third movement is marked as a Furiant which is a fast Bohemian folk dance. The cello and viola alternate a rhythmic pizzicato underneath the main tune of the first violin. The slower trio section of the scherzo is also derived from the furiant theme, with the piano and violin alternating between the main melodies. The fast Bohemian folk dance returns and the movement finishes aggressively, setting up for the polka in the last movement. The Finale is light-hearted and spirited. The second violin leads the theme into a fugue in the development section. In the coda, Dvořák writes tranquillo for a chorale-like section, which features the theme of the movement this time in augmentation and played pianissimo, before the pace quickens with an accelerando, and the quintet rushes to the finish.

Piano Trio No. 2 (Dvořák)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Structure#

The composition consists of four movements in the classical tradition: Performances take approximately 28-32 minutes.

Recordings#

Beaux Arts Trio (1996):Dvorák: Complete Piano Trios, Phillips B0000041F3
Suk Trio (2001, recorded 1977): Dvořák: Complete Piano Trios, Supraphon 3545.
Trio Fontenay (2006): Antonin Dvorak Complete Piano Trios, Teldec B000000SHK
Busch Trio (2019): Dvořák: Piano Trios Op. 21 & 26, Alpha Classics ALPHA 466
Boris Giltburg, Veronika Jarůšková, Peter Jarůšek (2023): Dvorak: The Complete Piano Trios, Supraphon B0CBSF9YSX

External links#

- , performed by the Busch Trio

Silent Woods (Dvořák)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Discography#

Jacqueline du Pré, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim, EMI Records (1970)
Yo-Yo Ma, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, Sony CD (1994) and Kultur DVD (2007)
Harriet Krijgh, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Gustavo Gimeno, Capriccio (record label) (2015)

References#

Pospíšil, Milan. Preface to: Antonín Dvořák – Waldesruhe für Klavier und Violoncello. G. Henle Verlag, München, 1999
François-René Tranchefort (1987). Guide de la musique de piano et de clavecin. Fayard.

Slavonic Dances

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Composition#

Prior to the publication of the Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, Dvořák was a relatively unknown composer and was of modest means. Consequently, he had applied for the Austrian State Prize fellowship (German “Stipendium”) in order to fund his composing work. After he won the prize three times in four years (1874, 1876 and 1877), Johannes Brahms, as one of the members of the committee responsible for awarding the stipend, referred Dvořák to his own publisher, Fritz Simrock. The first of Dvořák’s music to be published by Simrock was the Moravian Duets, which attained widespread success; encouraged, Simrock asked the composer to write something with a dance-like character. Unsure how to begin, Dvořák used Brahms’s Hungarian Dances as a model—but only as a model; there are a number of important differences between the two works. For example, whereas Brahms made use of actual Hungarian folk melodies, Dvořák only made use of the characteristic rhythms of Slavic folk music: the melodies are entirely his own. Simrock was immediately impressed by the music Dvořák produced (originally for piano four hands), and asked the composer for an orchestral version as well. Both versions were published within the year, and quickly established Dvořák’s international reputation. The enormous success of the Op. 46 dances led Simrock to request another set of Slavonic Dances in 1886; Dvořák’s subsequent Op. 72 dances met with a similar reception.

Songs My Mother Taught Me (Dvořák)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Discography#

Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano) and Rudolf Firkušný (piano), Sony CD (1994) and Kultur DVD (2007)

Vanda (opera)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin of the work#

After composing operas King and Charcoal Burner and The Stubborn Lovers, Dvořák turned to classical opera, and directly to the genre of grand opera. In the time between the composition of Slavonic Rhapsodies and Slavonic Dances, he logically turned to Slavic themes. The librettists Václav Beneš Šumavský and František Zákrejs wrote their libretto based on a short tale by Ing. Julian Surzycki. Musicologist Alan Houtchens mistakenly judged the source to be German, but the skeleton of the story comes from a popular Polish legend about Princess Wanda, who refused to marry the German Prince Rüdiger, and when the Prince attacked the Poles, Vanda defeated him in battle, whereupon she committed suicide by jumping into the Vistula as a sacrifice for victory. A necessary amorous element in the libretto of the opera is the character of the Polish knight Slawomir, supplied by the authors, who bids for Vanda’s hand and share in the government, although he is not of noble origin. Beneš’s and Zákrejs’ libretto follows the elements of Meyerbeer’s grand opera: five acts, alternating choral scenes, ensembles and arias, and the use of various traditional scenes and settings (religious ceremonies, a fight scene, a witch scene, a coronation, hymns and dirges) to give the composer the opportunity to use different musical devices. However, there is a lack of dramatic structure, most of the opera consists of static scenes, the characters are poorly portrayed and lack psychological development, and some scenes - for example, the spectacular scene with the witch Homena - seem to have no relevance to the plot. According to , when reading the text, one regrets the composer for having to resort to this strange creation for lack of a more suitable libretto. Dvořák, however, set the text to music with great care. The basic idea of the work and the character of Vanda, who becomes ruler against her will and eventually sacrifices her life for her country, clearly inspired him: Vanda’s arias at these two crucial moments: “Gods great, gods terrible” (“Bohové velcí, bohové strašliví”) and “Only one thing I wish for myself now…” (“Jen jedno nyní ještě přeji sobě”), are among the opera’s best moments. Dvořák dealt with the second act the worst, but the scene of witch Homena in third act does not deny that it is a precursor of the scenes with Ježibaba in Rusalka. The most elaborate and admirable parts are the numerous and extensive choruses, for example in the scenes of Vanda’s coronation, the double choral invocation of the gods in fourth act, and the hymnic celebration of the dead queen at the end of the opera. The emphasis on choruses is reminiscent of Dvořák’s later opera Dimitrij and the oratorio Saint Ludmila. On the other hand, they contribute to Vanda’s static, rather oratorical form, which is a hindrance to its dramatic effectiveness. The opera’s orchestration has always been appreciated as well; according to Šourek, Dvořák is here already a master of the Berlioz-like rich and bold palette here. However, the opera’s generous treatment did not match the possibilities of the Provisional Theatre in Prague, for which Vanda was intended. It lacked adequate singing forces, a sufficiently large choirs and orchestral parts, and the theatre’s small and technically unsophisticated stage did not allow for the successful staging of monumentally conceived scenes, although the theatre’s management tried to give the most dignified performance possible. The premiere on 17 April 1876 was a great satisfaction for Dvořák. According to the newspaper Národní listy the opera house was full on all rings and galleries, and in defiance of the tropical heat the audience was excellently animated and stayed until end of the performance. The success was most decided. Immediately after the first act the composer was noisily called several times, and afterwards more than once after each other act.

Violin Concerto (Dvořák)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Dvořák was encouraged to write a violin concerto by his publisher Simrock, after compositions such as Slavonic Dances and his Symphony No. 6 had been successful. with the solo part played by František Ondříček, who also gave the Vienna and London premieres. The concerto was first performed in the United States on 30 October 1891, at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Max Bendix was soloist with the Chicago Orchestra led by Theodore Thomas. The concerto remains an important work in the violin repertoire.

Violin Sonatina (Dvořák)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Structure#

The sonatina has four movements: Each movement exhibits a simple and clear, formal structure (hence the diminutive, cf. sonata). They all contain themes, which, like those already found in his other American chamber works (the String Quartet in F and the String Quintet in E), owe their inspiration to Native American music and African American spirituals, which are characterized by pentatonic scales and syncopated rhythm, among other traits. The mood of the composition is fresh and joyful. Only the second movement and part of the last movement are nostalgic; they are inspired by the composer’s longing for his home country. A motive for the slow movement Larghetto was hurriedly noted down on Dvořák’s shirt sleeve while on a visit to Minnehaha Falls, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Simrock sold this movement separately, without the composer’s permission, and Fritz Kreisler often performed it as Indian Lament. It also appeared as Indian Canzonetta; such romantic titles were not the composer’s, but were added subsequently by publishers.