I wrote these notes last week for the upcoming concert. i'm posting them now because i have them, but honestly, i won't bother trying to improve too much on them even though they could obviously be more detailed - who needs another recap of the new world symphony? it's only one of the best-loved, most accessible symphonies ever written - if you find these notes short, you should just go listen to it. i also did an individual movement post on the scherzo last year which you can find here. i won't even post a recording here, just go find one. if you find yourself needing more mental stimulation, play the last movement and try to identify every time one of the previous movements' themes comes up.
as printed in the 2012 Ithaca College symphony orchestra block 1 concert program:
From 1892 to 1895, Dvorak lived in New York as the
director of the National Conservatory of Music, and this fruitful
period (during which he drew much inspiration from American folk
music) would yield his most celebrated works. Among his output during
these years are his tenth String Quartet No. 10 in F Major, the
“American,” the famous cello concerto in B minor, and this work,
by far the most popular of his nine symphonies, which he penned from
December 1892 to May 1893 on commission by the New York Philharmonic.
With its wealth of captivating, memorable themes,
this symphony has found lasting popularity worldwide. Dvorak made a
point of studying the spirit and identifying characteristics of Negro
and Native American folk music, which he deemed “practically
identical”: he believed that these sources were the treasure trove
that would anchor the American musical identity. However, though he
made a conscious effort to incorporate the folk music's
idiosyncrasies, he never used anything but original themes in this
symphony. (This is also true of most of the folk-music-inspired works
he composed, for example his lively and nationalistic Slavonic
Dances.) The musical influences represented here have been traced not
only to Negro and Native American tunes, but also heavily utilize
rhythms from his native Bohemian. The work's charm is not in the use
of folk material per se, but rather in Dvorak's ability to
develop those exotic influences within a classic symphonic form,
scoring them authentically yet idiomatically for standard orchestral
instruments.
The first movement begins with a slow introduction: a
plaintive melody is scored for celli, and punctuated by a horn call.
Soon the subdued mood gives way to a more dramatic outburst in the
strings, timpani, and horns; this leads us to the movement proper,
which is a brisk Allegro Molto in sonata form. It is this movement
which Dvorak most closely associates with his effort to embody the
native American spirit within characteristic “national” melodies.
The first of these themes is a rising and falling arpeggio, developed
vigorously and dramatically; the second theme, first given by solo
flute and then violins, is more lyrical, but retains the rhythmic
lilt of the first.
The second movement a Largo, is introduced by
grandiose brass chords that lead us to the key of D-flat Major. The
famous english horn solo which follows is one of the most iconic
tunes in all of symphonic repertoire, and Dvorak credits this and
most of the material in the movement to the inspiration he drew from
Longfellow's poem Hiawatha. The serene mood of the theme contrasts
with the more melancholy middle section, which is in the enharmonic
minor key of C-sharp and begins with a wistful oboe solo, accompanied
by fluttering, undulating figures in the strings. The transformative
moment is a soft, surprise cadence in C-sharp major, which lifts the
music in a more lively direction leading to a great climax. The
english horn theme and opening material return largely unaltered,
save a gorgeous variant given by the strings, steadily reduced until
the music seems to pause, mid-breath. Solo violin and cello dance
alone for a moment, before being joined by the rest of the string
section to bring the movement to a close.
The scherzo, which returns to the key of E minor,
also derives its inspiration from Hiawatha, specifically the scene in
which the Indians dance at Hiawatha's triumphant return from battle.
It is representative of Dvorak's scherzi in all the best ways: a
compelling pulse with fetching, danceable rhythms that can be traced
to Dvorak's folk roots. The contrasting trio is more lighthearted and
dulcet; it is set in the relative C Major.
Dvorak describes the fiery last movement as a recall
and synthesis of all the themes of the previous movements. The
powerful introduction heralds a striking theme given by the horns.
With every reintroduction of prior themes Dvorak adds new material
and innovative twists, and the movement climaxes with a chord
progression analogous to that which began the second movement. The
final section brings the symphony to a thundering coda, ending on a
chord that dissolves into silence.
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