Antonín Leopold DvoÅ™ák (1841 - 1904) was a Czech
composer. DvoÅ™ák 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 Bedřich Smetana.
DvoÅ™ák'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 "arguab...(+)
Antonín Leopold DvoÅ™ák (1841 - 1904) was a Czech
composer. DvoÅ™ák 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 Bedřich Smetana.
DvoÅ™ák'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 DvoÅ™ák 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 DvoÅ™ák'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.
"Songs My Mother Taught Me" (Czech: Když mne stará
matka zpívat uÄÂívala; German: Als die alte
Mutter sang) is a song for voice and piano written in
1880 by Antonín DvoÅ™ák. It is the fourth of seven
songs from his cycle Gypsy Songs (Czech: Cigánské
melodie), B. 104, Op. 55. The Gypsy Songs are set to
poems by Adolf Heyduk in both Czech and German. This
song in particular has achieved widespread fame. The
song has been recorded by a number of well-known
singers, including Jarmila Novotná, Gabriela
BeňaÄÂková, Evan Williams, Gervase Elwes,
Nellie Melba, Rosa Ponselle, Jeanette MacDonald,
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Angeles, Joan
Sutherland, Paul Robeson, Frederica von Stade, Edita
Gruberová, Angela Gheorghiu, Magdalena Kožená, and
Renée Fleming.
Fritz Kreisler transcribed the song for violin and
piano and performed it frequently. His transcription
was first published in 1914. Artists who have recorded
instrumental versions of the song include Kreisler
himself, Glenn Miller, Josef Suk, Yo-Yo Ma, Alisa
Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell or Tine Thing
Helseth. The title Songs My Mother Taught Me has
frequently been used by singers in recitals or on
recital discs even when the song itself is not included
in the recording.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_My_Mother_Taught_M
e_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k)).
Although originally composed for Voice & Piano, I
created this Arrangement of "Cigánské Melodie" (Gypsy
Melody) from "Als die alte Mutter" (Songs my mother
taught me) Op. 55 B. 104 No. 4 for Flute & Piano.
