Antonin Dvořák was born in Muehlhausen, Bohemia, on September 8, 1841.
As a boy he studied the violin with the village schoolmaster. He
subsequently attended the Organ School in Prague. After completing his
studies, he played in various orchestras in Prague, including that of
the National Theater from 1861 to 1871 where he came under the influence
of Smetana, father of Bohemian national music. Dvořák first attracted
interest as a composer with _Hymnus_, a choral work introduced in 1873.
Two years later he won the Austrian State Prize for a symphony, and in
1878 he became famous throughout Europe with the _Slavonic Dances_. In
1883 he was appointed organist of the St. Adalbert Church in Prague.
From 1892 to 1895 he was the director of the National Conservatory in
New York. During this period he was influenced in his compositions by
the folk music of the American Negro and Indian. From 1901 until his
death he was director of the Prague Conservatory. He died in Prague on
May 1, 1904.
A prolific composer of operas, symphonies, chamber and piano music, and
songs, Dvořák stood in the forefront of the Romantic composers of the
late 19th century and among the leading exponents of Bohemian national
music. He was gifted with an expressive melodic gift, a strong and
subtle rhythmic pulse, and an inventive harmonic language. Whatever he
wrote was charged with strong emotional impulses, whether he used the
style of Bohemian folk music or those of the American Negro and American
Indian.
The _Carnival Overture_ (_Carneval_), written in 1891, is one of three
overtures planned by the composer as a cycle to portray “three great
creative forces of the Universe—Nature, Life, and Love.” A unifying
element among them was a melody intended to describe the “unchangeable
laws of Nature.” Eventually, Dvořák abandoned this plan and published
the three overtures separately, calling them _In Nature_ (_In der
Natur_), op. 91, _Carnival_, op. 92, and _Othello_, op. 93.
Dvořák himself provided a description of the music of _Carnival
Overture_. He aimed to describe “a lonely, contemplative wanderer
reaching the city at nightfall where a carnival of pleasure reigns
supreme. On every side is heard the clangor of instruments, mingled with
shouts of joy and the unrestrained hilarity of the people giving vent to
their feelings in songs and dances.” The overture begins with a lively
section portraying the gayety of the carnival. A subdued melody in the
violins brings relaxation, but the hubbub soon returns. Another gentle
episode depicts a pair of lovers in a secluded corner; the principal
melodic material in this part is offered by the solo violin, and by the
English horns and flutes. The brilliant opening material returns. It is
with this spirit of revelry that the overture ends.
The _Humoresque_ in G-flat major is the seventh in a set of eight
_Humoresques_ for piano (1894). This delightful, elegant piece of music
in three-part song form has been transcribed not only for orchestra but
for every possible instrument or combinations of instruments, and is
undoubtedly the most popular composition by the composer. It was Fritz
Kreisler, the famous violin virtuoso, who helped make the work so
famous. Kreisler visited Dvořák in 1903 and asked him for some music.
Dvořák showed him a pile of compositions, most of it completely unknown.
Among these was the G-flat major _Humoresque_. Kreisler transcribed it
for violin and piano, introduced it at his concerts, later recorded it,
and made it universally popular. As we know it today the _Humoresque_ is
not the way Dvořák intended it to sound. Dvořák wanted it to be a light,
whimsical piece of music, a “humoresque,” in fast tempo. Kreisler
transcribed it in a slower tempo and more sentimental mood; and it is in
this style that _Humoresque_ is now known and loved.
The _Indian Lament_ is one of several compositions by Dvořák influenced
by the idioms of American-Indian music. While serving as director of the
National Conservatory in New York, he paid a visit to the town of
Spillville, Iowa. There three Iroquois Indians visited him and
entertained him with authentic Indian music. Dvořák was so taken with
this strange and haunting lyricism, and the primitive rhythms, that he
wrote several major works incorporating these idioms. One was a Sonatina
in G major for violin and piano, op. 100 (1893). Its slow movement is a
delicate song embodying the intervallic peculiarities of authentic
American-Indian music. Fritz Kreisler edited this movement and named it
_Indian Lament_, the version in which it has become famous. Gaspar
Cassadó transcribed this movement for cello and piano.
Dvořák’s _Largo_ is the second movement of his Symphony No. 5 in E minor
better known as the _Symphony from the New World_ (1893). This is the
symphony written by Dvořák during his visit to the United States as
director of the National Conservatory. One of his students was Harry T.
Burleigh, who brought to his attention the music of the Negro Spiritual.
These melodies moved Dvořák so profoundly that he urged American
composers to use the style, technique and personality of these Negro
songs as the basis for national American music. As if to set an example,
Dvořák wrote several compositions in which his own melodic writing was
strongly influenced by the Negro Spiritual. The most significant of
these was his symphony, which received its world première in the United
States (at a concert of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra on December
15, 1893, Anton Seidl conducting). The main spacious, poignant melody of
the Largo movement—given by English horn over string harmonies after a
few preliminary chords—so strongly simulates the personality of a Negro
Spiritual that it was long thought that Dvořák was indulging in
quotation. This is not true; the melody is Dvořák’s own. Many
transcriptions of this melody exist. One is the familiar song, “Goin’
Home,” lyrics by William Arms Fisher (also one of Dvořák’s pupils);
another is a composition for violin and piano by Fritz Kreisler called
_Negro Spiritual Melody_; a third is an adaptation for salon orchestra
by Sigmund Romberg.
This Largo movement has two other melodies besides the basic one in the
Negro-Spiritual style. One is heard in flute and oboe, and the second in
the oboe.
The _Scherzo Capriccioso_, in D-flat major, op. 66 (1883) is one of the
composer’s liveliest and most dynamic larger works for orchestra, but in
an idiom that is neither Bohemian nor American. It is in two sections.
The first is the Scherzo, opening with an energetic subject for horns
that is a kind of a motto theme for the entire work. The principal
melody that follows is stated by full orchestra; after that comes a
waltz-like tune for violins. The second part of the composition, a trio,
is introduced by an expressive melody for English horn. A secondary
theme then comes in the strings and wind. The principal idea of the
first section now receives extended treatment before the second theme of
the second part returns in a modified form. The work ends with a coda in
which effective use is made of the opening motto subject.
Dvořák achieved international fame for the first time with the first set
of eight _Slavonic Dances_, op. 46, published in 1878. He had been
recommended to the publisher Simrock by Brahms; it was the publisher who
suggested to Dvořák that he write Slavonic dances similar to the
Hungarian dances which Brahms had made so popular. Dvořák wrote his
first set for piano four-hands; but these instantly proved so successful
that Simrock prevailed on Dvořák to orchestrate them. In 1886, Dvořák
wrote a second set of eight _Slavonic Dances_, op. 72, once again both
for four-hand piano and for orchestra. Though the melodies and harmonic
schemes in all these dances are Dvořák’s, they have caught the essence
of the Slavonic folk song and dance, and to such a degree that their
authentic national character has never been questioned. Karel
Hoffmeister wrote: “Something of the Slavic character speaks in every
phrase of them—the stormy high-spirited mood of the Furiants; the
whimsical merriment, the charm, the touch of coquettry, the ardent
tenderness of the lyrical passages.”
The following are among the best known of these dances:
C major, op. 46, no. 1. A chord sustained through one measure is
followed by a whirlwind presto passage. After a sudden pianissimo we
hear a second rhythmic melody. Music of a more serene character appears
in flute and strings after a change of key. A force climax is evolved to
set the stage for the return of the opening whirlwind subject.
E minor, op. 46, no. 2. A poignant melody is here contrasted with a
dynamic rhythmic section. Fritz Kreisler transcribed this dance for
violin and piano.
A-flat major, op. 46, no. 6. A dance melody with a strong rhythmic
impulse is the opening subject. Pianissimo chords lead to a new virile
subject, but there soon comes a decisive change of mood with two
expressive melodies. This dance, however, ends dynamically.
G minor, op. 46, no. 8. This is one of the gayest of the Slavonic
dances, alive in its electrifying changes of dynamics and tonality.
E minor, op. 72, no. 2. This is one of the best loved of all these
dances, a song of rare sensitivity and sadness, only temporarily
alleviated by the more optimistic music of the middle section. Fritz
Kreisler transcribed it for violin and piano.
A-flat major, op. 72, no. 8. Here, as in the preceding E minor dance,
the emphasis is on tender, elegiac song in strings. A dramatic middle
section provides some relief, but the gentle moodiness of the opening
section soon returns. Fritz Kreisler transcribed it for violin and
piano.
_Songs My Mother Taught Me_ is one of Dvořák’s most celebrated songs. It
is one of seven gypsy songs, based on Slavonic-gypsy folk idioms,
gathered in op. 55 (1880); the lyrics are by Adolf Heyduk. This
nostalgic, delicate melody has enjoyed numerous transcriptions,
including one for violin and piano by Fritz Kreisler, and another for
cello and piano by Alfred Gruenfeld.