Dvořák's American Suite, written for solo piano and later orchestrated, is characterized by its simplicity and 'serene speech,' shunning compositional virtuosity.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dvořák believed that Native American and African-American music, such as 'Negro melodies' like Deep River, could form the foundation for a new American national music.
Cultural Impact
Arthur Farwell, a composer and journalist, spearheaded the Indianist movement in American music, which was largely inspired by Dvořák's work.
Recording & Production
The Hiawatha Melodrama recorded here is a 'third and final' version, expanded to include excerpts from Dvořák's American Suite and Violin Sonatina, and is a world première recording.
Composer Biography
Dvořák aspired to compose a Hiawatha opera or cantata during his time in New York, and sketches for this project can be found within his New World Symphony sketches.
Composition History
The Hiawatha Melodrama, a concert work on this album, originated from a Dvořák festival curated by Joseph Horowitz in 1994, where Michael Beckerman first combined Dvořák's music with Longfellow's poem.
Composition History
Dvořák arrived in New York City in September 1892 to direct the National Conservatory of Music, a position secured by its founder Jeannette Thurber.
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