Lawrence V.

McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvorak

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Lawrence V. McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvorak

Symphony No. 9 New World

Antonin Dvorak

Late Romantic era [c1860- c.1920] With the honourable exceptions of Brahms and Bruckner, composers of this

period shared a general tendency towards allowing their natural inspiration free rein, often pacing their compositions
more in terms of their emotional content and dramatic continuity rather than organic structural growth. This was an era
highlighted by the extraordinarily rapid appearance of the national schools, and the operatic supremacy of Verdi and
Wagner. The eventual end of Romanticism came with the fragmentation of this basic style, composers joining schools of
composition, each with a style that was in vogue for a short period of time.

General Characteristics of the work:

The symphony is a product of professional mastery. The unity of form and content is flawless, and the fourmovement framework is constructed with unerring architectural proficiency. The exceptional and compelling
nature of the work lies in its remarkable lyricism and concise thematic treatment, striking rhythms, purity of
expression, elemental temperament and the equilibrium of all these qualities together. A characteristic feature
of the composition is the frequent reminiscence of themes from previous movements at crucial points in each
subsequent movement, a principle which gives the symphony its homogeneous expression. Dvorak had used
this approach many times in the past, but never with such consistency and deliberation.

SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN E MINOR, OPUS95, FROM THE NEW WORLD :

Dvok began work on his Ninth Symphony in January 1893, a few months after he arrived inNew York. He
finished it in May. The work was performed for the first time the following December at Carnegie Hall to a
highly enthusiastic audience, and it has remained since then among the several most familiar and popular of
Dvorks works. Dvok confirmed to Anton Seidl, the conductor of the first performance, that he intended the
symphonys subtitle, From the New World, to mean Impressions and greetings from theNew World. This
is very different than a tone painting of American life, which many commentators have held the score to be.
The composer bears some responsibility for this confusion, however. On more than one occasion during his
American sojourn he expressed interest in black spirituals and Indian tribal music - he even had Harry Burleigh,
a black student at the American Conservatory, sing spirituals to him - and he once alluded to the peculiarities
of Negro and Indian music in the themes of this symphony. But, as he also emphasized, there are no actual
quotations of any American music in the New World Symphony. Moreover, the peculiarities of its melodies,
particularly the prominence of gapped or pentatonic scales, are also those of Czech folksong. Americans
can be proud that this composition was born on their soil, but we should acknowledge its typically centralEuropean character. Dvok observes the classical symphonic convention of prefacing the first movement with
an introduction in slow tempo. The meditative atmosphere of this passage finally is shattered by an ominous
figure rising up from the low strings and brass. A timpani roll and suspenseful tremolo note high in the violins
then herald the principal theme of the movement proper, a theme given out by the horns and woodwinds.
Dvok develops this idea in highly dramatic tonal language and balances it with two less weighty melodies,
the first introduced by the woodwinds, the other presented in the low register of the flute. Already we can hear
the concern for thematic cohesion that is an important aspect of this score, for the rhythmic profile of the third
subject is strikingly like that of the first.The ensuing Largo presents Dvoks most famous melody and surely
one of his most exquisite. But the beauty of the celebrated English horn solo should not obscure the strange
power of the brass chords that frame the movement, the melting poignancy of the second melody, the poignant
treatment of the main theme by muted strings fading to momentary silence near the close, nor the dramatic
reappearance of the principal theme of the first movement.The opening measures of the third movement are
patterned closely on those of the scherzo in Beethovens Ninth Symphony, and the succeeding passage manages
to attain some of that works fierce energy. Before the movement is through, we again hear recollections of the
symphonys initial Allegro.The finale provides a summation of the entire composition. Dvok returns at the
outset to the dramatic rhetoric of the first movement and soon, in a lyrical clarinet melody, to the gentle mood of
the Adagio. Later the composer becomes even more explicit in his resume of the symphony, developing not only
the characters but the actual themes of the earlier movements in a comprehensive and exciting conclusion.

Lawrence V. McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvoraks MUSIC AND NATIONALISM :

Dvorak

During the nineteenth century, composers in a number of countries placed their art in the service of patriotic sentiments. By evoking
the idiom of their nations folk music, and sometimes by quoting authentic folk melodies, they brought national or ethnic pride into the
concert hall. At the same time, they enlivened their work with vibrant melodies, strong rhythms and colorful instrumentation that folk
music inspired.
Nationalism, as this new musical development is generally called, was especially strong in those countries with strong folk-music
traditions and whose people were subject to foreign political domination. Nowhere was this more true than in Bohemia, the land that
constitutes most of what is now the Czech Republic. Long part of the empire ruled by Austrias Hapsburg dynasty, Bohemiahad for
centuries been subjugated by its powerful neighbor to the south. But it had managed to retain its language and traditional culture,
and the latter began increasingly to assert itself in music after the middle of the nineteenth century. The composer Bedich Smetana
established a school of Bohemiannationalist composition with tone poems, operas and piano pieces that employed rhythms and
melodies derived from Czech folk music. But the great genius of Bohemian music would prove to be a younger composer, Antonn
Dvok.
In much of his mature work, Dvok drew on the rhythms and melodic inflections of Bohemian folk music to give his music an
unmistakable national identity. His intention in doing so was unabashedly patriotic. The composer was fiercely loyal to his homeland
andproud of its culture. But at the same time he was a sophisticated musician with a deep understanding of the traditions of classical
composition. So while some exceptional works like his Slavonic Dances emulate the sound of folk music, his symphonies, concertos
and other major works adopt Bohemian traits in a more subtle fashion, absorbing them into a framework of thoughtful thematic
invention and development. These pieces speak with a Czech accent, as it were, but they are fully conversant with the procedures of
orchestral composition developed by Beethoven, Brahms and other masters.

Performance History:

The success of the symphony was immediate and lasting. The work soon became an established part of the repertoire of symphony
orchestras and conductors in Europe, America and Australia. The first performance of the symphony in Europe was held in London on
21 June 1894; it was performed to Czech audiences for the first time in Karlovy Vary on 20 July 1894, and the Prague premiere was
held on 13 October 1894, conducted by the composer at the National Theatre.
The main theme of the Largo became so popular that it gave rise to a whole series of both instrumental and vocal arrangements.
The best known is Goin Home, created in 1922 by Dvoraks erstwhile American student, William Arms Fisher (1861-1948),
who commented on his vocal arrangement in the following words: As a musician, I am inclined to look with suspicion on any
arrangement based on the work of the great composers. One day, in the summer of 1922, when somebody put in front of me the Largo
in a piano arrangement, I played it only for old times sake. However, as I played, I heard in my mind words coming unbidden: Goin
home - Im goin home. I wrote them down and took my idea home. Obeying my inner impulse, I elaborated it accordingly.

William Arms Fisher: Goin Home
Goin home, goin home, Im a goin home;
Nothin lost, alls gain,
Quiet-like, some still day, Im jes goin home.
No more fret nor pain,
Its not far, jes close by,
No more stumblin on the way,
Through an open door;
No more longin for the day,
Work all done, care laid by,
Goin to roam no more!
Goin to fear no more.
Mornin star lights the way,
Mothers there spectin me,
Resless dream all done;
Fathers waitin too;
Shadows gone, break o day,
Lots o folk gatherd there,
Real life jes begun.
All the friends I knew,
Theres no break, theres no end,
All the friends I knew.
Jes a livin on;
Home, Im goin home!
Wide awake, with a smile
Goin on and on.

Characteristic traits of the composition:

- pentatonic scale (five-note scale which does not contain the fourth and seventh note of a traditional European

major scale)
- syncopated rhythms (a shift of accent that occurs when a normally weak beat is stressed)
- dotted rhythms
- Aeolian minor mode with minor seventh
- principle of reminiscence
_ Homophonic texture (homophony): music using homophonic texture features one prominent melody, with

all other voices acting as support - providing harmony and accompaniment. The melody is the

most important or most dominant voice.

Lawrence V. McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvorak

While, in terms of the choice of thematic material and the overall atmosphere of the work, Dvorak really was entering a new world,
in its structural framework the symphony largely adheres to classical schemes derived from the deeply entrenched traditions of European music. The first movement (Allegro molto) is written in sonata form and begins with an introduction in slow tempo (Adagio).
Apart from the fact that the introduction anticipates the thematic material of the first movement, specifically its main subject, it also
establishes an idea right at the start which might be described as a kind of leitmotif of Dvoraks American period:
Its characteristic melodic outline later appears once again in the theme of the third movement of String Quintet in E flat major and in
the composers piano Humoresque No. 1. According to Dvoraks instructions, the entire introduction should be drawn out, where possible, which is not always observed in practice. The exposition of the first movement is structured around three supporting thematic
ideas. The main theme is distinguished for the contrast between its announcing and responsive phrases:
The fanfare-like announcing phrase is a defining factor for the symphony as it progresses, later appearing at key points in all the following movements. The second subject of the first movement asserts the American-Czech character of the symphony: in its basic
minor key (with a narrow melodic range, lowered seventh and monotone accompaniment), there truly is something Indian about it:
In a subsequent development of the theme, however, its character is completely transformed (change in key temperament, broader
melodic range, parallel thirds) and it suddenly sounds almost like a Czech polka:

The introduction of the closing theme is rhythmically equivalent to the main theme, but otherwise it is of a quite different, lyrical character. It is often highlighted for its close similarity with the melody of the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Dvorak also treats
this theme in the symphonys subsequent movements:
The development section principally addresses the main theme and the announcing phrase of the final theme. Its dramatic character is
echoed in the harmonic progression A major A minor F major F sharp minor E flat minor E minor F minor. The recapitulation is almost an exact repetition of the exposition, the only difference being that the secondary and closing themes are transposed up a
semitone. The impressive coda involving full timpani reaches its climax with the main subject rising up in the brass above the orchestral tutti.
The second movement (Largo) begins with a remarkable harmonic succession of chords in the wind instruments (E major B flat
major (sixth chord) E major D flat major B double-flat major G flat minor D flat major). The genesis of the Largos famous
introductory bars was by no means straightforward. A whole series of variants have survived in Dvoraks sketchbooks which preceded
the definitive sequence. In one of them the harmonic progression begins in C major and returns to the same key. In the final version, however, the opening chord of E major emphasises continuity with the close of the previous movement, which ends in E minor.
According to an interpretation by Michael Beckerman, the introductory chords represent a kind of musical rendition of the formula
Once upon a time.... Antonin Sychra points out the connection between this chordal progression and similarly conceived passages
in other works by Dvorak: the catharsis in the symphonic poem The Wild Dove, the chords accompanying the Water Sprites aria in
Rusalka when he cries Oh poor, pale Rusalka, sent by a spell into the dazzling world! Alas!, and the harmonic sequences at several
points in Biblical Songs (e.g. in song No. 3 with the words Attend and hear me; For I lament in my suffering and grief). The Largos
main theme is a broad, sublimely simple melody delivered by the cor anglais, set against a backdrop of sordini strings:
The theme was originally prescribed for the clarinet, but the composer later altered the instrumentation, since the sound of the cor
anglais was said to have reminded him of the quality of the voice of Harry T. Burleigh, whose performances gave Dvorak the opportunity to hear Negro spirituals (see above). In addition, the theme itself was somewhat different, more European than the final version.
In contrast to the sketches, the score incorporates this minor but, in overall effect, important change, intensifying the pentatonic character of the melody. The middle section of the movement brings a passage in C sharp minor, whose nostalgic mood might suggest an
image of the vast and desolate American prairies (which, naturally, Dvorak could not have known at the time of writing), the stylisation of an Indian lament, and also a reflection of homesickness:

The image of inconsolability is further reinforced when the musical current leads into a kind of funeral march
above regular pizzicato steps in the basses:

Lawrence V. McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvorak

There then follows a quasi-scherzo segment in C sharp major, whose dynamic climax incorporates several thematic ideas:
the Largo theme, the main theme of the first movement, and the closing theme of the first movement. The movement
concludes with the soft return of the main theme, with the sequence of introductory chords making their reappearance at
the very end.
The third movement (Molto vivace) is written in A-B-A form. In Dvoraks words, this part of the symphony is
associated with the feast where the Indians dance, which he had seen described in Longfellows Hiawatha. The entire
character of part A and its increasing sense of urgency as the piece progresses seem truly to echo the passage of the poem
which depicts the wild dance of the magician Pau-Puk-Keewis from the chapter Hiawathas Wedding Feast:
To the sound of flutes and singing,
To the sound of drums and voices,
Rose the handsome Pau-Puk-Keewis,
And began his mystic dances.

First he danced a solemn measure,

Very slow in step and gesture,
In and out among the pine-trees,
Through the shadows and the sunshine,
Treading softly like a panther.
Then more swiftly and still swifter,
Whirling, spinning round in circles,
Leaping oer the guests assembled,
Eddying round and round the wigwam,

Till the leaves went whirling with him,

Till the dust and wind together
Swept in eddies round about him.

Then along the sandy margin

Of the lake, the Big-Sea-Water,
On he sped with frenzied gestures,
Stamped upon the sand, and tossed it
Wildly in the air around him;
Till the wind became a whirlwind,
Till the sand was blown and sifted
Like great snowdrifts oer the landscape,
Heaping all the shores with Sand Dunes,
Sand Hills of the Nagow Wudjoo!

The stirring rhythms in part A are interrupted only in its middle section which, in its idyllic atmosphere, is in such contrast that one
might refer to it as a little trio of sorts:
The actual trio, part B, is also far removed from the wild rhythms of the preceding part. And this is not all: the American feel to the
music suddenly seems to fade away. Otakar Sourek even speaks of a dance melody akin to a Czech folk piece which, in its middle
section, is buoyed up with dainty hops and delicate trills, as if Dvoraks beloved pigeons at Vysoka set about their own concert of cooing and murmuring:
After a repetition of part A comes the coda which, in its solemn expression, defies the overall tone of the movement and thus represents a certain
conceptual transition towards the final movement. The dynamic culmination of the coda then suddenly gives voice to yet another reminiscence: the
closing theme of the first movement.
The fourth movement (Allegro con fuoco) is in its essential features written in sonata form, thus its ground plan gives a clear indication of the
exposition, development and recapitulation. The principle of reminiscence, which culminates in this movement, however, introduces innovative elements of form into the structure of the movement: in particular, this concerns explicit use of themes from the previous movements. If the very principle of accumulating reminiscences in the final movement points to Beethovens Symphony No. 9, the manner of its application cannot be described
as Beethovenesque. In the Viennese classics last symphony, the beginning of the fourth movement brings some sort of recapitulation of the thematic
material of the previous movements, after which there is no further instance of it. Conversely, Dvorak exposes the thematic substance of the previous movements, but beginning with the development section. The main theme of the fourth movement, even for Dvorak, is unusually eloquent and
productive, moreover, it is immediately exposed for the first time in an impressive brass instrumentation, thereby prefiguring the mood of the whole
movement:

Its striking impact is further reinforced by an ensuing triplet variant with a keenly accented rhythmical accompaniment:

The contrasting second subject gradually finds its voice in a broad, lyrical cantilena:

The final energetic theme again reinforces the initial impression of the tone of the whole movement:
The development section is proof of Dvoraks seemingly inexhaustible fount of imagination in the cultivation of thematic material and in his ability to keep on introducing new compositional approaches. In one passage, for example, he interweaves the main themes from the second, third and
fourth movements:
The recapitulation is abbreviated in comparison with the exposition,
so that the majestic coda stands out even more as it takes in all the key
ideas of the symphony, including the opening chords of the Largo in
monumental form.

Lawrence V. McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvoks LIFE AND CAREER: A Butchers Son:

Dvorak

Dvok was born in 1841, the son of a butcher and innkeeper. As the eldest of his parents nine children who survived infancy, he
was expected to take up his fathers trade. But a presumed destiny for life as a butcher was not Dvoks only legacy. Like many
Bohemian peasants, the boys father had an innate musicality. He had learned to play the fiddle and reportedly had a fine singing
voice. Antonn learned the rudiments of violin playing from his father, and soon was playing fiddle tunes to entertain guests at the inn
his parents ran. Lessons in organ playing from the village schoolmaster provided grounding in a more sober musical tradition.When
he was twelve, Dvok was sent to the nearby town ofZlonice to continue his education while undertaking a formal apprenticeship
as butcher. There he was fortunate to find two excellent music teachers who recognized his talent and encouraged him to develop it.
Dvok completed his apprenticeship when he was fifteen, but by this time music had made a claim on him. His father adamantly
opposed any thought that he might undertake so risky a profession as that of a musician, and for nearly a year Antonn could not sway
him. Finally, however, his uncle lent his support to the boys desire - not just with words but with an offer to help pay for his tuition
at thePrague OrganSchool. At this his father relented, and in September 1857, just after his sixteenth birthday, Dvok set off for
Prague. Music would occupy him for the rest of his days.
The Apprentice Years
In Prague Dvok took lodgings with different relatives while attending clases in keyboard playing, singing and music theory.
This was a difficult time for young man. Despite the generosity of his uncle and his relatives inPrague, he had very little money,
and so he took to supplementing his meager allowance by playing viola in caf and theater orchestras. After two years of study,
Dvok received his diploma from thePrague OrganSchool. Unable to secure a church position, he set about supporting himself
by performing with various orchestras and by taking a few students. During this period Dvok greatly broadened his musical
horizons. As a viola player he got to know a good deal of the orchestral and operatic literature. A particularly important event in
his development was the founding of the National Theater in 1862. Devoted to producing Czech opera inPrague, this institution
became an important vehicle for furthering the cause of Bohemian nationalism in music, especially after Smetana was engaged
as its director. Dvok was a member of the National Theaters orchestra from its inception, and in this capacity gained first-hand
contact with Smetanas opera The Bartered Bride and other works that either extolled Czech culture or availed themselves of the
flavor and character of Czech folk music.For nearly a decade and a half Dvok lived the precarious life of an itinerant musician in
Prague. During the 1860s and early 1870s Dvok produced a series of orchestral pieces, string quartets and other species of chamber
music, songs, choral works and several operas. Much of this work involved a process of creative trial and error, but through this the
quality of Dvoks compositions steadily improved. Moreover he received important encouragement from Smetana, who directed
performances of several of his orchestral pieces. In 1874 his comic opera King and Charcoal Burner was produced at the National
Theater inPrague. Though hardly a great success, it helped establish Dvok as a promising Czech composer.Music did not occupy
quite all of Dvoks attention during this time, however. For some years, beginning in the 1860s, he had courted one of his piano
students, a goldsmiths daughter named Anna Cermkov. Finally, in 1873, with the composers fortunes on the rise, she consented
to marry him. This event inaugurated a hopeful period in Dvoks life. He dearly loved Anna and found considerable satisfaction in
the domestic life and family they created together. He had enjoyed some success as a composer, if only locally, and felt his creative
powers increasing year by year. Perhaps he dreamed of recognition beyond the musical circles of Prague. But it is doubtful that he
anticipated how quickly, or how high, his star was about to ascend.
Brahms the Benefactor
In July 1874, less than a year after he was married, Dvok applied for a grant of financial assistance offered by the Austrian
government to artists throughout the Hapsburg empire. Dvok trusted that he would qualify on all three counts. In February 1875
he received word that a jury of eminent musicians had been sufficiently impressed with the compositions he had submitted to award
him a subsidy totaling about half a years income from his usual occupations. Greatly encouraged, Dvok applied for the prize again
during each of the next three years. On each occasion his application was approved, but the final time brought an additional reward.
The jury judging the applications for aid included the composer Johannes Brahms, widely respected as one of the best musical minds
of the day.Brahms had been pleased to see Dvok receive support from the Austrian government. Now he did something more,
recommending the Czech composer to his own publisher, Fritz Simrock. As a result of that contact, Dvoks music began to circulate
for the first time beyond the confines of Prague. The association with Simrock also led to the creation of Dvoks first hugely
popular composition, theSlavonic Dances, which the publisher commissioned in the hope that it would equal the success of Brahmss
recent Hungarian Dances. He was not disappointed. These pieces captivated the public and did much to enhance Dvoks growing
reputation.Brahms and Dvok remained on cordial and mutually respectful terms as long as they both lived, this despite pronounced
differences in their personalities. Dvok revered his older colleague and considered his music a standard to be met, particularly in
the sphere of orchestral composition. Brahms, for his part, continued to display a generous spirit toward his Czech counterpart. When
Dvoks New World Symphony urgently required proof-reading in order to ensure the first European performance, Brahms set
aside his own work in order to do the task. Worried about Dvoks ability to support his large family, he offered to place his fortune
at the Czech composers disposal.

Lawrence V. McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvoks LIFE AND CAREER: A Butchers Son:

Dvorak

In the years that followed, Dvok cemented his reputation as both an outstanding composer in the classical
tradition and as a musician whose work gave expression to the spirit of his nation. During the 1880s he traveled
widely, conducting his music inGermany, Russia and repeatedly in England, which demonstrated particular
enthusiasm for his works. But his affection for his native country never waned. Dvok proudly asserted his
Czech nationality. In one famous incident he upbraided Simrock, his publisher, for printing his name in its
German form, Anton, instead of the Czech Antonn. When his success as a composer finally brought a
measure of financial independence, Dvok declined Brahmss suggestion that he move toVienna; instead he
purchased a house in the countryside about forty miles fromPrague.
Dvoks success never went to his head. He remained all his life an essentially simple man, more comfortable
around peasants and tradesmen than with artists and intellectuals. Apart from music, his family claimed the
greatest share of his time and attention. He devoted his leisure time not to intellectual pursuits but to watching
trains; locomotives fascinated him. In short, he had risen considerably above the circumstances into which he
had been born, but he never lost touch with his roots among the common people of his country.
The New World
By 1890, Dvork was a national hero in his native Bohemia, and soon the rest of the world joined in showering
him with honors and invitations. One of the latter came from an unexpected source. On June 5, 1891, a telegram
arrived from a Mrs. Jeanette Thurber ofNew York: Would you accept position Director National Conservatory
of Music New York October 1892 also lead six concerts of your works.Dvork was at first disinclined to
consider this offer. Deeply attached to his homeland, he had little desire to separate himself from his friends
country. But Mrs. Thurber persisted, and her terms were generous. Dvork would be well compensated and his
duties light, leaving plenty of time for composing. In November he accepted the position, and in September 1892
he sailed for America.Dvoks American sojourn, which lasted the better part of three years, proved one of the
most remarkable episodes in his career. During this period, Dvok wrote several outstanding compositions - his
Ninth Symphony, a String Quartet and a String Quintet - whose characters reflect to some extent his experience
ofAmerica. He also conducted concerts of his music in New York, Boston andChicago, and attended the
triumphant first performance of the Ninth Symphony at Carnegie Hall. But not all his activities were taken up
with music. After enduring a bout of homesickness during his first season inNew York, the composer acted on
the suggestion of one of his students that he visit the small farming community ofSpillville, Iowa, which had
been settled by Czech immigrants. And so, in the company of his wife and children, Dvok crossed half the
continent to a town in the ruralMidwest, where he spent the summer of 1893. The residents of Spillville may
have been awed at first to find a famous musician in their midst, but Dvok felt very much at home among
people of the same Czech peasant stock that formed his own background.
Final Years
In 1895, having spent most of three years as head ofMrs. Thurbers National Conservatory, Dvok returned to
the homeland he loved so deeply. The composer , now divided his time between Prague and his country house.
He made a few trips abroad - toEngland, for example, and toVienna for the enormously successful Austrian
premiere of his New World Symphony- but he grew increasingly content to remain close to his home and
family.
During his final years, Dvok turned his attention to opera, a genre he had neglected for over a
decade. His last three works in this form, all completed after 1899, are widely considered his finest compositions
for the stage and still enjoy frequent performance inPrague. In March 1904 the composer decided to walk from
his house in the Bohemian capital to the railway station, there to look at the locomotives, always a favorite
pastime. On the way home he caught a chill and became seriously ill. Dvok never fully recovered, and he died
suddenly on the evening of May 1. His passing was an occasion of national mourning, with thousands lining the
route of the funeral procession. As the entourage passed the National Theater, where Dvok once played viola in
the orchestra, a movement of his ownRequiem was performed at the top of the steps leading to its entrance.

Lawrence V. McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvorak

Sources of inspiration:

From a purely musical point of view, the symphonys strongest inspirational source is drawn from Afro-American
songs. The composer had come across them during his first few months in New York, on the one hand thanks to
the African American singer Harry T. Burleigh, whom he had met on many occasions before embarking upon the
symphony, and probably via other sources as well. Dvorak saw the prospect of establishing an American national
school of music, above all, in lessons learned from European examples where, during the 19th century, folk music
had often provided sources of inspiration, even in the case of the most serious compositions. Dvorak saw the roots
of American folk music which, according to this principle, was to be understood as the foundation of works by
local composers, chiefly in Negro spirituals that had emerged on American soil. He derived strong inspiration from
the characteristic singularities of these songs in particular, their use of pentatonic scales and syncopated rhythms.
Dvorak often referred to these aspects in his interviews for the American press: In the Negro melodies of America I
discover all that is needed for a great and noble school of music. (New York Herald, 21 May 1893)

1st movement - detail of the score
Dvoraks theory whipped up a furore in both American and European newspapers and journals, and a series of
eminent authorities on music expressed their own opinions (Anton Bruckner, Hans Richter, Arthur Rubinstein,
Joseph Joachim and Anton Seidl, among others). A number of them wholly rejected the idea, perhaps also because
Dvorak had been misrepresented: it was not his intention simply to take existing melodies and forge them into new
works, as was sometimes suggested. According to the recollections of Josef Kovarik, these reactions didnt surprise
Dvorak in the least: Faced with all these articles the Maestro remained impassive and unruffled, and he did not
make any attempt to modify his statement on American music. The only thing he said was: So these gentlemen
think it is impossible? Well, well see about that!

Introductory chords of the 2nd movement
For over a hundred years experts have argued whether or not Dvorak used specific melodies from Negro
songs in his symphony. He expressed himself clearly on this issue at the time, both in public and in his private
correspondence. In an interview for the New York Herald, he stressed the following: It is merely the spirit of Negro
and Indian melodies which I have tried to reproduce in my new symphony. I have not actually used any of the
melodies. In February 1900 Dvorak wrote a letter to Oskar Nedbal, who was preparing to conduct the symphony
in Berlin: I am sending you Kretschmars analysis of the symphony, but leave out that nonsense about my using
Indian and American motifs it is a lie! It was my intention only to write in the spirit of these national American
melodies! Nevertheless, most musicologists agree that the final theme of the first movement is consciously, or
unconsciously, inspired by the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Its melodic outline and rhythmical structure
present so many similarities that this cannot be regarded as a mere coincidence.
The New World Symphony is also frequently said to have been inspired by original Native American music,
although it is not entirely clear how Dvorak would have become acquainted with it before starting his composition.
The whole symphony was written in New York between 10 January and 24 May 1893, while it was not until June
of that year that the composer ventured inland. Even so, Dvorak may have come across Native American music
before this time. He essentially had two opportunities to do so: Thirteen years before the composers departure for
America, at the beginning of August 1879, Prague hosted a performance by a group of Iroquois Indians who, over a
ten-day period, demonstrated their tribal dances and songs, archery skills and acrobatics on horseback. It must have
been a spell-binding spectacle for the inhabitants of Prague at that time, as borne out by the many reports appearing
in the period press. It is not known whether the composer attended any of these demonstrations, but he may have
seen notated examples of the music they performed in an article published by Dvoraks friend Vaclav Juda Novotny
in Dalibor magazine. Dvoraks statement in an interview for the New York Herald (15 December 1893) would
support this theory: I carefully studied a certain number of Indian melodies which a friend gave me, and was truly
intrigued by their characteristic traits imbued with their spirit, in fact. Dvorak had another opportunity in New
York itself, when he went to see a Wild West Show performed by the legendary Buffalo Bill. The productions,
freely inspired by visions of the conquest of the Wild West, also involved the participation of the Oglala Sioux tribe
of Native Americans. According to musicologist Michael Beckerman, this opportunity would have presented itself
in the spring of 1893 (no further details given), namely, during the period the symphony was written, but only after
the completion of the sketches for the first three movements.

Lawrence V. McCrobie

Symphony No. 9 The New World

Dvorak

A question also hovers above potential inspiration from the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by American
poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Dvorak would have been familiar with the work back in Prague during the
1870s, through a translation by Josef Vaclav Sladek, and during his stay in the United States he would also have
had the English original at his disposal. This epic poem draws on stories of the legendary Indian chief Hiawatha,
incorporating compelling portrayals of the natural beauty of the wild American landscape.

Main theme of the Largo
According to certain scholars, the poem provided key inspiration for Dvorak particularly with regard to both
central movements of the symphony. This conjecture is supported, among others, by Dvorak apparently stating that the second movement was written under the impression of the woodland burial scene from Longfellows Hiawatha. Unfortunately, the authenticity of this statement cannot be verified, since the only mention of
it comes to us second-hand: in her study Antonin Dvorak in America, published in 1919, Katerina Emingerova
discusses it with reference to an unspecified article in the American press. As indicated by Michael Beckerman,
who has examined this matter in detail, no article of any relevance contains any information about it. According
to Beckerman, the symphonys second movement is inspired by two scenes from Hiawatha: the main theme, the
celebrated Largo, has its prefiguration in the journey of Hiawatha and his wife Minnehaha across the vast, unspoiled American plains. The central part of the movement is said to be a reflection of the mood in the scene of
Minnehahas woodland burial. The theory that the inspiration for the Largo lies outside musical contexts is also
substantiated by the composers notes written into the sketches for this movement: Legend and The Legend Begins. The third movement of the symphony is, according to Beckerman, inspired by a wedding scene,
specifically the wild dance of the magician Pau-Puk-Keewis. The musicologist here refers to the composers
statement in the New York Herald, according to which the Scherzo of my new symphony was suggested by
the scene of the feast where the Indians dance, and points to the corresponding sense of urgency in the relevant
passage of the text and in the main part of the symphonys third movement.
The expression of the symphony overall is principally a reflection of the composers wonder at his new environment and the new cultural impulses that surrounded him which, via musical stylisation, his creative imagination
transformed into an exceptional piece of symphonic writing. In terms of compositional technique, however, we
will not find any fundamental new influences. Dvorak travelled to the United States in his 51st year as a composer with his own unique, crystallised compositional style and an established canon of expressional means, and
as a master in all aspects of the composition process. Local influences could thus at most broaden his expressive
palette. Hence, although Dvorak used certain principles in the symphony on which African American and Native American music is based, there was no possibility that his work would give rise to an American national
symphony, since as one critic aptly remarked Dvorak can no more divest himself of his nationality than
the leopard can change its spots. In the New World Symphony Negro and Indian motifs are interwoven
with Czech (or, simply, Dvorakian) motifs, in a remarkable unity of expression, creating a uniform, balanced
and extremely effective work.

Composition History:

This symphony, Dvoraks most popular in an international context, was written during the first year of the
composers tenure in the United States. An ideal set of circumstances had presented themselves by this stage in
his career: strong impressions of his new environment, financial independence, a sense of his role as an ambassador of Czech music, and his ambitions to ensure that he would not fall short of expectations. All this found
Dvorak at the height of his creative energy and contributed to the genesis of a work of exceptional quality. The
New World Symphony is the composers ninth, and also his last (nine is something of a magical number in the
history of music: various world composers completed the same number of symphonies, such as Beethoven,
Schubert, Bruckner and Mahler). The symphony was to prove the composers theory of the possibility of using characteristic elements of African American and Native American music as the foundation for an American
national school of composition which, in fact, did not exist during Dvoraks time in the United States.