It is with the 'Slavonic Dances' Op. 46 that Antonin Dvorak won international breakthrough in 1878. Apart from Symphony No. 9, 'From the New World', and Cello Concerto Op. 104, they are among the best-known works by Dvorak.
Unlike Brahms in his 'Hungarian Dances', Dvorak did not use any original melodies but incorporated characteristic elements of Slavonic dance music in his own melodic invention.