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 Bedrich 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 vers...(+)
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 Bedrich 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.
This short song for a middle-register voice and organ
is based on a traditional liturgical text extolling the
Holy Trinity. The main part of the piece is
surprisingly in G minor, while the closing doxology is
written in G major. Dvořák wrote the song on 14
August 1878 while staying with his friend Alois Göbl
at Sychrov. It was probably premiered the very next day
in the Sychrov castle chapel, with Göbl performing the
solo, accompanied by the composer at the organ.
Dvořák’s manuscript of the song was kept by Göbl
until his death in 1907, after which it was transferred
to the Dvořák family estate; it was published for the
first time in 1911 as a supplement to the fifth issue
of the music journal Cyril.
Source: Antonín Dvořák
(https://www.antonin-dvorak.cz/en/work/hymn-to-the-most
-holy-trinity-b82/).
Although originally composed for Voice and Organ, I
created this Arrangement of the "Hymn to the Most Holy
Trinity" (B. 82) in G Minor for Oboe & Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
