Antonín Leopold Dvorák (1841 - 1904) was a Czech
composer. Dvorák frequently employed rhythms and other
aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native
Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example
of his predecessor BedÅ™ich Smetana. Dvorák's style
has been described as "the fullest recreation of a
national idiom with that of the symphonic tradition,
absorbing folk influences and finding effective ways of
using them," and he himself has been described as
"arguably the most ...(+)
Antonín Leopold Dvorák (1841 - 1904) was a Czech
composer. Dvorák frequently employed rhythms and other
aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native
Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example
of his predecessor BedÅ™ich Smetana. Dvorák's style
has been described as "the fullest recreation of a
national idiom with that of the symphonic tradition,
absorbing folk influences and finding effective ways of
using them," and he himself has been described as
"arguably the most versatile... composer of his time".
He displayed his musical gifts at an early age, being
an apt violin student. The first public performances of
his works were in Prague in 1872 and, with special
success, in 1873, when he was 31 years old. Seeking
recognition beyond the Prague area, he submitted scores
of symphonies and other works to German and Austrian
competitions. He did not win a prize until 1874, with
Johannes Brahms on the jury of the Austrian State
Competition. In 1877, after his third win, Brahms
recommended Dvorák to his publisher, Simrock, who
commissioned what became the Slavonic Dances, Op. 46.
The sheet music's high sales and critical reception led
to his international success. A London performance of
Dvorák's Stabat Mater in 1883 led to many other
performances in the United Kingdom, the United States,
and eventually Russia in March 1890. The Seventh
Symphony was written for London in 1885.
Antonín DvoÅ™ák's Serenade for Strings in E Major
(Czech: SmyÄcová serenáda E dur), Op. 22 (B. 52),
is one of the composer's most popular orchestral works.
It was composed in just two weeks in May 1875. By this
time, DvoÅ™ák was gaining recognition as a
composer. He received a generous stipend from a
commission in Vienna, allowing him to write the
Serenade, in addition to Symphony No. 5, String Quintet
No. 2, Piano Trio No. 1, the opera Vanda, and the
Moravian Duets. DvoÅ™ák is said to have written the
Serenade in just 12 days, from 3 to 14 May. The piece
premiered in Prague on 10 December 1876 by Adolf
ÄŒech and the combined orchestras of the Czech and
German theatres. DvoÅ™ák's piano duet arrangement
was published in Prague in 1877 by Emanuel Starý. Two
years later, Bote & Bock published the score in
Berlin.
I. Moderato: The first movement starts off the Serenade
in the key of E Major. The second violins and cellos
introduce the lyrical main theme over an eighth note
pulse in the violas. The theme is traded back and
forth, and the second violins reprise it under a
soaring passage in the firsts. At measure 31, the
movement modulates into G Major and presents a new,
dancelike theme, based on a dotted rhythm. At measure
54, the movement modulates back into E Major and the
primary theme returns. The movement ends on three E
Major chords.
II. Tempo di Valse: The second movement, a waltz, opens
with a lilting dance melody in C-sharp Minor. The first
section repeats, and the second section begins in E
Mixolydian. A string of eighth notes in the violins
transitions into the second theme in A Major. The first
theme returns, and Part A is closed with a cadential
fortissimo C-sharp Minor chord. Part B opens with a
modulation into the enharmonic parallel Major of D-flat
Major. This section's theme is developed, and then Part
A returns. The movement ends on a C-sharp Major
chord.
III. Scherzo - Vivace: The third movement is a lively,
hyperactive Scherzo in F Major. The theme is stated and
subsequently developed in sections of different tempos
and moods, including a foray into A Major. The most
monothematic movement yet, the scherzo ends with a coda
combining material from the scherzo and trio.
IV. Larghetto: The slow movement of the Serenade is
tranquil and wistful. Its flowing melodies and tender
phrases form a buffer between the vigorous third and
fifth movements. The third theme of the second movement
is quoted repeatedly throughout.
V. Finale - Allegro vivace: The fifth movement is a
lively, offbeat finale, conveying the spirit of a
Bohemian village dance. The principal theme is a
descending figure based on thirds with accents on weak
beats. More thematic material enters at bar 32 as the
violins and cellos trade calls and responses over
running eighths in the violas. A third theme based
primarily on sixteenth-note upbeats appears at bar 87.
A wistful recollection of the melody from the preceding
Larghetto appears and then diminuendos away. The
movement's recapitulation starts with the main theme,
followed in turn by the second and third themes. A
20-bar eighth-note passage leads into a quotation of
the first movement's theme, bringing the piece full
circle. A Presto coda follows, and the Serenade ends
with three E Major chords.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenade_for_Strings_(Dv
o%C5%99%C3%A1k)).
Although originally composed for String Ensemble, I
created this Arrangement of the "Serenade for Strings"
(Op. 22 B. 52) in E Major for Flute & Strings (2
Violins, Viola, Cello & Bass).
