Anton Dvorak New World Symphony

7/24/2019 Anton Dvorak New World Symphony

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Lawrence V. McCrobie Symphony No. 9 The New World Dvorak


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Symphony No. 9 New WorldAntonin Dvorak

Late Romantic era [c1860- c.1920] With the honourable exceptions of Brahms and Bruckner, composers of thisperiod shared a general tendency towards allowing their natural inspiration free rein, often pacing their compositions

more in terms of their emotional content and dramatic continuity rather than organic structural growth. This was an era

highlighted by the extraordinarily rapid appearance of the national schools, and the operatic supremacy of Verdi andWagner. The eventual end of Romanticism came with the fragmentation of this basic style, composers joining schools of

composition, each with a style that was in vogue for a short period of time.

General Characteristics of the work:The symphony is a product of professional mastery. The unity of form and content is awless, and the four-

movement framework is constructed with unerring architectural prociency. The exceptional and compelling

nature of the work lies in its remarkable lyricism and concise thematic treatment, striking rhythms, purity of

expression, elemental temperament and the equilibrium of all these qualities together. A characteristic feature

of the composition is the frequent reminiscence of themes from previous movements at crucial points in each

subsequent movement, a principle which gives the symphony its homogeneous expression. Dvorak had used

this approach many times in the past, but never with such consistency and deliberation.


Dvok began work on his Ninth Symphony in January 1893, a few months after he arrived inNew York. He

nished it in May. The work was performed for the rst time the following December at Carnegie Hall to a

highly enthusiastic audience, and it has remained since then among the several most familiar and popular of

Dvorks works. Dvok conrmed to Anton Seidl, the conductor of the rst performance, that he intended the

symphonys subtitle, From the New World, to mean Impressions and greetings from theNew World. This

is very different than a tone painting of American life, which many commentators have held the score to be.

The composer bears some responsibility for this confusion, however. On more than one occasion during his

American sojourn he expressed interest in black spirituals and Indian tribal music - he even had Harry Burleigh,

a black student at the American Conservatory, sing spirituals to him - and he once alluded to the peculiarities

of Negro and Indian music in the themes of this symphony. But, as he also emphasized, there are no actual

quotations of any American music in the New World Symphony. Moreover, the peculiarities of its melodies

particularly the prominence of gapped or pentatonic scales, are also those of Czech folksong. Americans

can be proud that this composition was born on their soil, but we should acknowledge its typically central-

European character. Dvok observes the classical symphonic convention of prefacing the rst movement with

an introduction in slow tempo. The meditative atmosphere of this passage nally is shattered by an ominous

gure rising up from the low strings and brass. A timpani roll and suspenseful tremolo note high in the violins

then herald the principal theme of the movement proper, a theme given out by the horns and woodwinds.

Dvok develops this idea in highly dramatic tonal language and balances it with two less weighty melodies,

the rst introduced by the woodwinds, the other presented in the low register of the ute. Already we can hear

the concern for thematic cohesion that is an important aspect of this score, for the rhythmic prole of the thirdsubject is strikingly like that of the rst.The ensuing Largo presents Dvoks most famous melody and surely

one of his most exquisite. But the beauty of the celebrated English horn solo should not obscure the strange

power of the brass chords that frame the movement, the melting poignancy of the second melody, the poignant

treatment of the main theme by muted strings fading to momentary silence near the close, nor the dramatic

reappearance of the principal theme of the rst movement.The opening measures of the third movement are

patterned closely on those of the scherzo in Beethovens Ninth Symphony, and the succeeding passage manages

to attain some of that works erce energy. Before the movement is through, we again hear recollections of the

symphonys initial Allegro.The nale provides a summation of the entire composition. Dvok returns at the

outset to the dramatic rhetoric of the rst movement and soon, in a lyrical clarinet melody, to the gentle mood of

the Adagio. Later the composer becomes even more explicit in his resume of the symphony, developing not only

the characters but the actual themes of the earlier movements in a comprehensive and exciting conclusion.

SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN E MINOR, OPUS95, FROM THE NEW WORLD :


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The success of the symphony was immediate and lasting. The work soon became an established part of the repertoire of symphony

orchestras and conductors in Europe, America and Australia. The rst performance of the symphony in Europe was held in London on

21 June 1894; it was performed to Czech audiences for the rst time in Karlovy Vary on 20 July 1894, and the Prague premiere was

held on 13 October 1894, conducted by the composer at the National Theatre.

The main theme of the Largo became so popular that it gave rise to a whole series of both instrumental and vocal arrangements.

The best known is Goin Home, created in 1922 by Dvoraks erstwhile American student, William Arms Fisher (1861-1948),

who commented on his vocal arrangement in the following words: As a musician, I am inclined to look with suspicion on any

arrangement based on the work of the great composers. One day, in the summer of 1922, when somebody put in front of me the Largo

in a piano arrangement, I played it only for old times sake. However, as I played, I heard in my mind words coming unbidden: Goin

home - Im goin home. I wrote them down and took my idea home. Obeying my inner impulse, I elaborated it accordingly.

William Arms Fisher: Goin Home

Performance History:

Characteristic traits of the composition:- pentatonic scale (ve-note scale which does not contain the fourth and seventh note of a traditional European

major scale)

- syncopated rhythms (a shift of accent that occurs when a normally weak beat is stressed)

- dotted rhythms

- Aeolian minor mode with minor seventh

- principle of reminiscence

_ Homophonic texture (homophony): music using homophonic texture features one prominent melody, with

all other voices acting as support - providing harmony and accompaniment. The melody is the

most important or most dominant voice.

During the nineteenth century, composers in a number of countries placed their art in the service of patriotic sentiments. By evoking

the idiom of their nations folk music, and sometimes by quoting authentic folk melodies, they brought national or ethnic pride into the

concert hall. At the same time, they enlivened their work with vibrant melodies, strong rhythms and colorful instrumentation that folk

music inspired.

Nationalism, as this new musical development is generally called, was especially strong in those countries with strong folk-music

traditions and whose people were subject to foreign political domination. Nowhere was this more true than in Bohemia, the land that

constitutes most of what is now the Czech Republic. Long part of the empire ruled by Austrias Hapsburg dynasty, Bohemiahad for

centuries been subjugated by its powerful neighbor to the south. But it had managed to retain its language and traditional culture,

and the latter began increasingly to assert itself in music after the middle of the nineteenth century. The composer Bedich Smetana

established a school of Bohemiannationalist composition with tone poems, operas and piano pieces that employed rhythms and

melodies derived from Czech folk music. But the great genius of Bohemian music would prove to be a younger composer, Antonn

Dvok.

In much of his mature work, Dvok drew on the rhythms and melodic inections of Bohemian folk music to give his music an

unmistakable national identity. His intention in doing so was unabashedly patriotic. The composer was ercely loyal to his homeland

andproud of its culture. But at the same time he was a sophisticated musician with a deep understanding of the traditions of classical

composition. So while some exceptional works like his Slavonic Dances emulate the sound of folk music, his symphonies, concertos

and other major works adopt Bohemian traits in a more subtle fashion, absorbing them into a framework of thoughtful thematic

invention and development. These pieces speak with a Czech accent, as it were, but they are fully conversant with the procedures of

orchestral composition developed by Beethoven, Brahms and other masters.

Dvoraks MUSIC AND NATIONALISM :


Goin home, goin home, Im a goin home;

Quiet-like, some still day, Im jes goin home.

Its not far, jes close by,

Through an open door;

Work all done, care laid by,

Goin to fear no more.

Mothers there spectin me,

Fathers waitin too;

Lots o folk gatherd there,

All the friends I knew,

All the friends I knew.

Home, Im goin home!

Nothin lost, alls gain,

No more fret nor pain,

No more stumblin on the way,

No more longin for the day,

Goin to roam no more!

Mornin star lights the way,

Resless dream all done;

Shadows gone, break o day,

Real life jes begun.

Theres no break, theres no end,

Jes a livin on;

Wide awake, with a smileGoin on and on.


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While, in terms of the choice of thematic material and the overall atmosphere of the work, Dvorak really was entering a new world,

in its structural framework the symphony largely adheres to classical schemes derived from the deeply entrenched traditions of Eu-

ropean music. The rst movement (Allegro molto) is written in sonata form and begins with an introduction in slow tempo (Adagio).

Apart from the fact that the introduction anticipates the thematic material of the rst movement, specically its main subject, it also

establishes an idea right at the start which might be described as a kind of leitmotif of Dvoraks American period:

Its characteristic melodic outline later appears once again in the theme of the third movement of String Quintet in E at major and in

the composers piano Humoresque No. 1. According to Dvoraks instructions, the entire introduction should be drawn out, where pos

sible, which is not always observed in practice. The exposition of the rst movement is structured around three supporting thematicideas. The main theme is distinguished for the contrast between its announcing and responsive phrases:

The fanfare-like announcing phrase is a dening factor for the symphony as it progresses, later appearing at key points in all the fol-

lowing movements. The second subject of the rst movement asserts the American-Czech character of the symphony: in its basic

minor key (with a narrow melodic range, lowered seventh and monotone accompaniment), there truly is something Indian about it:

In a subsequent development of the theme, however, its character is completely transformed (change in key temperament, broader

melodic range, parallel thirds) and it suddenly sounds almost like a Czech polka:

The introduction of the closing theme is rhythmically equivalent to the main theme, but otherwise it is of a quite different, lyrical char-

acter. It is often highlighted for its close similarity with the melody of the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Dvorak also treats

this theme in the symphonys subsequent movements:

The development section principally addresses the main theme and the announcing phrase of the nal theme. Its dramatic character is

echoed in the harmonic progression A major A minor F major F sharp minor E at minor E minor F minor. The recapitula-

tion is almost an exact repetition of the exposition, the only difference being that the secondary and closing themes are transposed up a

semitone. The impressive coda involving full timpani reaches its climax with the main subject rising up in the brass above the orches-

tral tutti.

The second movement (Largo) begins with a remarkable harmonic succession of chords in the wind instruments (E major B at

major (sixth chord) E major D at major B double-at major G at minor D at major). The genesis of the Largos famousintroductory bars was by no means straightforward. A whole series of variants have survived in Dvoraks sketchbooks which preceded

the denitive sequence. In one of them the harmonic progression begins in C major and returns to the same key. In the nal ver-

sion, however, the opening chord of E major emphasises continuity with the close of the previous movement, which ends in E minor.

According to an interpretation by Michael Beckerman, the introductory chords represent a kind of musical rendition of the formula

Once upon a time.... Antonin Sychra points out the connection between this chordal progression and similarly conceived passages

in other works by Dvorak: the catharsis in the symphonic poem The Wild Dove, the chords accompanying the Water Sprites aria in

Rusalka when he cries Oh poor, pale Rusalka, sent by a spell into the dazzling world! Alas!, and the harmonic sequences at several

points in Biblical Songs (e.g. in song No. 3 with the words Attend and hear me; For I lament in my suffering and grief). The Largos

main theme is a broad, sublimely simple melody delivered by the cor anglais, set against a backdrop of sordini strings:

The theme was originally prescribed for the clarinet, but the composer later altered the instrumentation, since the sound of the cor

anglais was said to have reminded him of the quality of the voice of Harry T. Burleigh, whose performances gave Dvorak the opportu-

nity to hear Negro spirituals (see above). In addition, the theme itself was somewhat different, more European than the nal version.

In contrast to the sketches, the score incorporates this minor but, in overall effect, important change, intensifying the pentatonic char-

acter of the melody. The middle section of the movement brings a passage in C sharp minor, whose nostalgic mood might suggest an

image of the vast and desolate American prairies (which, naturally, Dvorak could not have known at the time of writing), the stylisa-

tion of an Indian lament, and also a reection of homesickness:

The image of inconsolability is further reinforced when the musical current leads into a kind of funeral march

above regular pizzicato steps in the basses:


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There then follows a quasi-scherzo segment in C sharp major, whose dynamic climax incorporates several thematic ideas:

the Largo theme, the main theme of the rst movement, and the closing theme of the rst movement. The movement

concludes with the soft return of the main theme, with the sequence of introductory chords making their reappearance at

the very end.

The third movement (Molto vivace)is written in A-B-A form. In Dvoraks words, this part of the symphony is

associated with the feast where the Indians dance, which he had seen described in Longfellows Hiawatha. The entire

character of part A and its increasing sense of urgency as the piece progresses seem truly to echo the passage of the poem

which depicts the wild dance of the magician Pau-Puk-Keewis from the chapter Hiawathas Wedding Feast:To the sound of utes and singing,

To the sound of drums and voices,Rose the handsome Pau-Puk-Keewis,

And began his mystic dances.

First he danced a solemn measure,

Very slow in step and gesture,

In and out among the pine-trees,

Through the shadows and the sunshine,

Treading softly like a panther.

Then more swiftly and still swifter,

Whirling, spinning round in circles,

Leaping oer the guests assembled,

Eddying round and round the wigwam,

Till the leaves went whirling with him,

Till the dust and wind togetherSwept in eddies round about him.

Then along the sandy margin

Of the lake, the Big-Sea-Water,

On he sped with frenzied gestures,

Stamped upon the sand, and tossed it

Wildly in the air around him;

Till the wind became a whirlwind,

Till the sand was blown and sifted

Like great snowdrifts oer the landscape,

Heaping all the shores with Sand Dunes,

Sand Hills of the Nagow Wudjoo!

The stirring rhythms in part A are interrupted only in its middle section which, in its idyllic atmosphere, is in such contrast that one

might refer to it as a little trio of sorts:

The actual trio, part B, is also far removed from the wild rhythms of the preceding part. And this is not all: the American feel to the

music suddenly seems to fade away. Otakar Sourek even speaks of a dance melody akin to a Czech folk piece which, in its middle

section, is buoyed up with dainty hops and delicate trills, as if Dvoraks beloved pigeons at Vysoka set about their own concert of coo-

ing and murmuring:

After a repetition of part A comes the coda which, in its solemn expression, dees the overall tone of the movement and thus represents a certain

conceptual transition towards the nal movement. The dynamic culmination of the coda then suddenly gives voice to yet another reminiscence: the

closing theme of the rst movement.

The fourth movement (Allegro con fuoco) is in its essential features written in sonata form, thus its ground plan gives a clear indication of the

exposition, development and recapitulation. The principle of reminiscence, which culminates in this movement, however, introduces innovative ele-

ments of form into the structure of the movement: in particular, this concerns explicit use of themes from the previous movements. If the very prin-

ciple of accumulating reminiscences in the nal movement points to Beethovens Symphony No. 9, the manner of its application cannot be described

as Beethovenesque. In the Viennese classics last symphony, the beginning of the fourth movement brings some sort of recapitulation of the thematic

material of the previous movements, after which there is no further instance of it. Conversely, Dvorak exposes the thematic substance of the previ-

ous movements, but beginning with the development section. The main theme of the fourth movement, even for Dvorak, is unusually eloquent and

productive, moreover, it is immediately exposed for the rst time in an impressive brass instrumentation, thereby preguring the mood of the whole

movement:

Its striking impact is further reinforced by an ensuing triplet variant with a keenly accented rhythmical accompaniment:

The contrasting second subject gradually nds its voice in a broad, lyrical cantilena:

The nal energetic theme again reinforces the initial impression of the tone of the whole movement:

The development section is proof of Dvoraks seemingly inexhaustible fount of imagination in the cultivation of thematic material and in his abil-

ity to keep on introducing new compositional approaches. In one passage, for example, he interweaves the main themes from the second, third and

fourth movements:

The recapitulation is abbreviated in comparison with the exposition,

so that the majestic coda stands out even more as it takes in all the key

ideas of the symphony, including the opening chords of the Largo in

monumental form.


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Dvok was born in 1841, the son of a butcher and innkeeper. As the eldest of his parents nine children who survived infancy, he

was expected to take up his fathers trade. But a presumed destiny for life as a butcher was not Dvoks only legacy. Like many

Bohemian peasants, the boys father had an innate musicality. He had learned to play the ddle and reportedly had a ne singing

voice. Antonn learned the rudiments of violin playing from his father, and soon was playing ddle tunes to entertain guests at the inn

his parents ran. Lessons in organ playing from the village schoolmaster provided grounding in a more sober musical tradition.When

he was twelve, Dvok was sent to the nearby town ofZlonice to continue his education while undertaking a formal apprenticeship

as butcher. There he was fortunate to nd two excellent music teachers who recognized his talent and encouraged him to develop it.

Dvok completed his apprenticeship when he was fteen, but by this time music had made a claim on him. His father adamantly

opposed any thought that he might undertake so risky a profession as that of a musician, and for nearly a year Antonn could not swayhim. Finally, however, his uncle lent his support to the boys desire - not just with words but with an offer to help pay for his tuition

at thePrague OrganSchool. At this his father relented, and in September 1857, just after his sixteenth birthday, Dvok set off for

Prague. Music would occupy him for the rest of his days.

The Apprentice Years

In Prague Dvok took lodgings with different relatives while attending clases in keyboard playing, singing and music theory.

This was a difcult time for young man. Despite the generosity of his uncle and his relatives inPrague, he had very little money,

and so he took to supplementing his meager allowance by playing viola in caf and theater orchestras. After two years of study,

Dvok received his diploma from thePrague OrganSchool. Unable to secure a church position, he set about supporting himself

by performing with various orchestras and by taking a few students. During this period Dvok greatly broadened his musical

horizons. As a viola player he got to know a good deal of the orchestral and operatic literature. A particularly important event in

his development was the founding of the National Theater in 1862. Devoted to producing Czech opera inPrague, this institution

became an important vehicle for furthering the cause of Bohemian nationalism in music, especially after Smetana was engaged

as its director. Dvok was a member of the National Theaters orchestra from its inception, and in this capacity gained rst-hand

contact with Smetanas opera The Bartered Bride and other works that either extolled Czech culture or availed themselves of the

avor and character of Czech folk music.For nearly a decade and a half Dvok lived the precarious life of an itinerant musician in

Prague. During the 1860s and early 1870s Dvok produced a series of orchestral pieces, string quartets and other species of chamber

music, songs, choral works and several operas. Much of this work involved a process of creative trial and error, but through this the

quality of Dvoks compositions steadily improved. Moreover he received important encouragement from Smetana, who directed

performances of several of his orchestral pieces. In 1874 his comic opera King and Charcoal Burner was produced at the National

Theater inPrague. Though hardly a great success, it helped establish Dvok as a promising Czech composer.Music did not occupy

quite all of Dvoks attention during this time, however. For some years, beginning in the 1860s, he had courted one of his piano

students, a goldsmiths daughter named Anna Cermkov. Finally, in 1873, with the composers fortunes on the rise, she consented

to marry him. This event inaugurated a hopeful period in Dvoks life. He dearly loved Anna and found considerable satisfaction inthe domestic life and family they created together. He had enjoyed some success as a composer, if only locally, and felt his creative

powers increasing year by year. Perhaps he dreamed of recognition beyond the musical circles of Prague. But it is doubtful that he

anticipated how quickly, or how high, his star was about to ascend.

Brahms the Benefactor

In July 1874, less than a year after he was married, Dvok applied for a grant of nancial assistance offered by the Austrian

government to artists throughout the Hapsburg empire. Dvok trusted that he would qualify on all three counts. In February 1875

he received word that a jury of eminent musicians had been sufciently impressed with the compositions he had submitted to award

him a subsidy totaling about half a years income from his usual occupations. Greatly encouraged, Dvok applied for the prize again

during each of the next three years. On each occasion his application was approved, but the nal time brought an additional reward.

The jury judging the applications for aid included the composer Johannes Brahms, widely respected as one of the best musical minds

of the day.Brahms had been pleased to see Dvok receive support from the Austrian government. Now he did something more,recommending the Czech composer to his own publisher, Fritz Simrock. As a result of that contact, Dvoks music began to circulate

for the rst time beyond the connes of Prague. The association with Simrock also led to the creation of Dvoks rst hugely

popular composition, theSlavonic Dances, which the publisher commissioned in the hope that it would equal the success of Brahmss

recent Hungarian Dances. He was not disappointed. These pieces captivated the public and did much to enhance Dvoks growing

reputation.Brahms and Dvok remained on cordial and mutually respectful terms as long as they both lived, this despite pronounced

differences in their personalities. Dvok revered his older colleague and considered his music a standard to be met, particularly in

the sphere of orchestral composition. Brahms, for his part, continued to display a generous spirit toward his Czech counterpart. When

Dvoks New World Symphony urgently required proof-reading in order to ensure the rst European performance, Brahms set

aside his own work in order to do the task. Worried about Dvoks ability to support his large family, he offered to place his fortune

at the Czech composers disposal.

Dvoks LIFE AND CAREER: A Butchers Son:



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In the years that followed, Dvok cemented his reputation as both an outstanding composer in the classical

tradition and as a musician whose work gave expression to the spirit of his nation. During the 1880s he traveled

widely, conducting his music inGermany, Russia and repeatedly in England, which demonstrated particular

enthusiasm for his works. But his affection for his native country never waned. Dvok proudly asserted his

Czech nationality. In one famous incident he upbraided Simrock, his publisher, for printing his name in its

German form, Anton, instead of the Czech Antonn. When his success as a composer nally brought a

measure of nancial independence, Dvok declined Brahmss suggestion that he move toVienna; instead he

purchased a house in the countryside about forty miles fromPrague.

Dvoks success never went to his head. He remained all his life an essentially simple man, more comfortable

around peasants and tradesmen than with artists and intellectuals. Apart from music, his family claimed the

greatest share of his time and attention. He devoted his leisure time not to intellectual pursuits but to watching

trains; locomotives fascinated him. In short, he had risen considerably above the circumstances into which he

had been born, but he never lost touch with his roots among the common people of his country.

The New World

By 1890, Dvork was a national hero in his native Bohemia, and soon the rest of the world joined in showering

him with honors and invitations. One of the latter came from an unexpected source. On June 5, 1891, a telegram

arrived from a Mrs. Jeanette Thurber ofNew York: Would you accept position Director National Conservatoryof Music New York October 1892 also lead six concerts of your works.Dvork was at rst disinclined to

consider this offer. Deeply attached to his homeland, he had little desire to separate himself from his friends

country. But Mrs. Thurber persisted, and her terms were generous. Dvork would be well compensated and his

duties light, leaving plenty of time for composing. In November he accepted the position, and in September 1892

he sailed for America.Dvoks American sojourn, which lasted the better part of three years, proved one of the

most remarkable episodes in his career. During this period, Dvok wrote several outstanding compositions - his

Ninth Symphony, a String Quartet and a String Quintet - whose characters reect to some extent his experience

ofAmerica. He also conducted concerts of his music in New York, Boston andChicago, and attended the

triumphant rst performance of the Ninth Symphony at Carnegie Hall. But not all his activities were taken up

with music. After enduring a bout of homesickness during his rst season inNew York, the composer acted onthe suggestion of one of his students that he visit the small farming community ofSpillville, Iowa, which had

been settled by Czech immigrants. And so, in the company of his wife and children, Dvok crossed half the

continent to a town in the ruralMidwest, where he spent the summer of 1893. The residents of Spillville may

have been awed at rst to nd a famous musician in their midst, but Dvok felt very much at home among

people of the same Czech peasant stock that formed his own background.

Final Years

In 1895, having spent most of three years as head ofMrs. Thurbers National Conservatory, Dvok returned to

the homeland he loved so deeply. The composer , now divided his time between Prague and his country house.

He made a few trips abroad - toEngland, for example, and toVienna for the enormously successful Austrian

premiere of his New World Symphony- but he grew increasingly content to remain close to his home and

family. During his nal years, Dvok turned his attention to opera, a genre he had neglected for over a

decade. His last three works in this form, all completed after 1899, are widely considered his nest compositions

for the stage and still enjoy frequent performance inPrague. In March 1904 the composer decided to walk from

his house in the Bohemian capital to the railway station, there to look at the locomotives, always a favorite

pastime. On the way home he caught a chill and became seriously ill. Dvok never fully recovered, and he died

suddenly on the evening of May 1. His passing was an occasion of national mourning, with thousands lining the

route of the funeral procession. As the entourage passed the National Theater, where Dvok once played viola in

the orchestra, a movement of his ownRequiem was performed at the top of the steps leading to its entrance.


Dvoks LIFE AND CAREER: A Butchers Son:


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From a purely musical point of view, the symphonys strongest inspirational source is drawn from Afro-American

songs. The composer had come across them during his rst few months in New York, on the one hand thanks to

the African American singer Harry T. Burleigh, whom he had met on many occasions before embarking upon the

symphony, and probably via other sources as well. Dvorak saw the prospect of establishing an American national

school of music, above all, in lessons learned from European examples where, during the 19th century, folk music

had often provided sources of inspiration, even in the case of the most serious compositions. Dvorak saw the roots

of American folk music which, according to this principle, was to be understood as the foundation of works bylocal composers, chiey in Negro spirituals that had emerged on American soil. He derived strong inspiration from

the characteristic singularities of these songs in particular, their use of pentatonic scales and syncopated rhythms.

Dvorak often referred to these aspects in his interviews for the American press: In the Negro melodies of America I

discover all that is needed for a great and noble school of music. (New York Herald, 21 May 1893)

1st movement - detail of the score

Dvoraks theory whipped up a furore in both American and European newspapers and journals, and a series of

eminent authorities on music expressed their own opinions (Anton Bruckner, Hans Richter, Arthur Rubinstein,

Joseph Joachim and Anton Seidl, among others). A number of them wholly rejected the idea, perhaps also because

Dvorak had been misrepresented: it was not his intention simply to take existing melodies and forge them into new

works, as was sometimes suggested. According to the recollections of Josef Kovarik, these reactions didnt surprise

Dvorak in the least: Faced with all these articles the Maestro remained impassive and unrufed, and he did notmake any attempt to modify his statement on American music. The only thing he said was: So these gentlemen

think it is impossible? Well, well see about that!

Introductory chords of the 2nd movement

For over a hundred years experts have argued whether or not Dvorak used specic melodies from Negro

songs in his symphony. He expressed himself clearly on this issue at the time, both in public and in his private

correspondence. In an interview for the New York Herald, he stressed the following: It is merely the spirit of Negro

and Indian melodies which I have tried to reproduce in my new symphony. I have not actually used any of the

melodies. In February 1900 Dvorak wrote a letter to Oskar Nedbal, who was preparing to conduct the symphony

in Berlin: I am sending you Kretschmars analysis of the symphony, but leave out that nonsense about my using

Indian and American motifs it is a lie! It was my intention only to write in the spirit of these national American

melodies! Nevertheless, most musicologists agree that the nal theme of the rst movement is consciously, orunconsciously, inspired by the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Its melodic outline and rhythmical structure

present so many similarities that this cannot be regarded as a mere coincidence.

The New World Symphony is also frequently said to have been inspired by original Native American music,

although it is not entirely clear how Dvorak would have become acquainted with it before starting his composition.

The whole symphony was written in New York between 10 January and 24 May 1893, while it was not until June

of that year that the composer ventured inland. Even so, Dvorak may have come across Native American music

before this time. He essentially had two opportunities to do so: Thirteen years before the composers departure for

America, at the beginning of August 1879, Prague hosted a performance by a group of Iroquois Indians who, over a

ten-day period, demonstrated their tribal dances and songs, archery skills and acrobatics on horseback. It must have

been a spell-binding spectacle for the inhabitants of Prague at that time, as borne out by the many reports appearingin the period press. It is not known whether the composer attended any of these demonstrations, but he may have

seen notated examples of the music they performed in an article published by Dvoraks friend Vaclav Juda Novotny

in Dalibor magazine. Dvoraks statement in an interview for the New York Herald (15 December 1893) would

support this theory: I carefully studied a certain number of Indian melodies which a friend gave me, and was truly

intrigued by their characteristic traits imbued with their spirit, in fact. Dvorak had another opportunity in New

York itself, when he went to see a Wild West Show performed by the legendary Buffalo Bill. The productions,

freely inspired by visions of the conquest of the Wild West, also involved the participation of the Oglala Sioux tribe

of Native Americans. According to musicologist Michael Beckerman, this opportunity would have presented itself

in the spring of 1893 (no further details given), namely, during the period the symphony was written, but only after

the completion of the sketches for the rst three movements.

Sources of inspiration:



10/10


A question also hovers above potential inspiration from the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by American

poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Dvorak would have been familiar with the work back in Prague during the

1870s, through a translation by Josef Vaclav Sladek, and during his stay in the United States he would also have

had the English original at his disposal. This epic poem draws on stories of the legendary Indian chief Hiawatha,

incorporating compelling portrayals of the natural beauty of the wild American landscape.

Main theme of the Largo

According to certain scholars, the poem provided key inspiration for Dvorak particularly with regard to both

central movements of the symphony. This conjecture is supported, among others, by Dvorak apparently stat-

ing that the second movement was written under the impression of the woodland burial scene from Longfel-

lows Hiawatha. Unfortunately, the authenticity of this statement cannot be veried, since the only mention of

it comes to us second-hand: in her study Antonin Dvorak in America, published in 1919, Katerina Emingerova

discusses it with reference to an unspecied article in the American press. As indicated by Michael Beckerman,

who has examined this matter in detail, no article of any relevance contains any information about it. According

to Beckerman, the symphonys second movement is inspired by two scenes from Hiawatha: the main theme, the

celebrated Largo, has its preguration in the journey of Hiawatha and his wife Minnehaha across the vast, un -

spoiled American plains. The central part of the movement is said to be a reection of the mood in the scene of

Minnehahas woodland burial. The theory that the inspiration for the Largo lies outside musical contexts is alsosubstantiated by the composers notes written into the sketches for this movement: Legend and The Leg-

end Begins. The third movement of the symphony is, according to Beckerman, inspired by a wedding scene,

specically the wild dance of the magician Pau-Puk-Keewis. The musicologist here refers to the composers

statement in the New York Herald, according to which the Scherzo of my new symphony was suggested by

the scene of the feast where the Indians dance, and points to the corresponding sense of urgency in the relevant

passage of the text and in the main part of the symphonys third movement.

The expression of the symphony overall is principally a reection of the composers wonder at his new environ -

ment and the new cultural impulses that surrounded him which, via musical stylisation, his creative imagination

transformed into an exceptional piece of symphonic writing. In terms of compositional technique, however, we

will not nd any fundamental new inuences. Dvorak travelled to the United States in his 51st year as a com -poser with his own unique, crystallised compositional style and an established canon of expressional means, and

as a master in all aspects of the composition process. Local inuences could thus at most broaden his expressive

palette. Hence, although Dvorak used certain principles in the symphony on which African American and Na -

tive American music is based, there was no possibility that his work would give rise to an American national

symphony, since as one critic aptly remarked Dvorak can no more divest himself of his nationality than

the leopard can change its spots. In the New World Symphony Negro and Indian motifs are interwoven

with Czech (or, simply, Dvorakian) motifs, in a remarkable unity of expression, creating a uniform, balanced

and extremely effective work.

This symphony, Dvoraks most popular in an international context, was written during the rst year of the

composers tenure in the United States. An ideal set of circumstances had presented themselves by this stage in

his career: strong impressions of his new environment, nancial independence, a sense of his role as an ambas-

sador of Czech music, and his ambitions to ensure that he would not fall short of expectations. All this found

Dvorak at the height of his creative energy and contributed to the genesis of a work of exceptional quality. The

New World Symphony is the composers ninth, and also his last (nine is something of a magical number in the

history of music: various world composers completed the same number of symphonies, such as Beethoven,

Schubert, Bruckner and Mahler). The symphony was to prove the composers theory of the possibility of us -

ing characteristic elements of African American and Native American music as the foundation for an American

national school of composition which, in fact, did not exist during Dvoraks time in the United States.

Composition History:

Documents

Anton Dvorak New World Symphony