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.
The Sonatina in G major for violin and piano (Czech:
Sonatina G dur pro housle a klavír), Op. 100, B. 183,
was written by Antonín DvoÅ™ák between November 19
and December 3, 1893, in New York City. It was the last
chamber composition he wrote during his sojourn in the
United States. DvoÅ™ák catered the sonatina to the
gradually developing musical abilities of his children,
especially those of his 15-year-old daughter Otilie and
10-year-old son Toník, who played piano and violin
respectively. In a letter to Fritz Simrock on January
2, 1894, DvoÅ™ák conceived the piece in the
following terms: "It is intended for youths (dedicated
to my two children), but even grown-ups, adults, should
be able to converse with it..." The sonatina was
published by Simrock in Berlin in 1894. It also exists
in a version for cello and piano.
The four short movements (I. Allegro Risoluto, 3/4, G
Major, II. Larghetto, 2/4, G Minor, III. Molto Vivace,
3/4, G Major & IV. Allegro, 2/4, G Major) of the
sonatina each exhibit 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 Eâ™), owe their
inspiration to Indian melodies and Negro 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 DvoÅ™ák'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.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Sonatina_(Dvo%C5%
99%C3%A1k)).
Although originally composed for Violin & Piano, I
created this Arrangement of The Sonatina in G Major
(Op. 100 B. 183) for Flute & Strings (2 Violins, Viola
& Cello).
