Dvořák, along with Bedřich Smetana (a composer 17 years his senior), was instrumental in bringing international recognition to Czech art music by incorporating Czech folk music elements into his compositions.
Historical Context
The 'Songs from the Dvůr Králové Manuscript' were believed by Dvořák and his contemporaries to be original 13th-century Slavonic texts, but were later discovered to be imitations by a student named Václav Hanka.
Cultural Impact
The song 'Když mne stará matka' (Songs my mother taught me) from Dvořák's Gypsy Melodies has become world-famous.
Compositional Technique
In his Gypsy Melodies, Dvořák used the 'gypsy scale' and imitated the sound of a cimbalom in the piano accompaniment to create an exotic atmosphere.
Composition History
Although never published in its original form, Dvořák reused material from his early Cypresses cycle in later works, including a string quartet, a piano cycle, and his Love Songs, Op. 83.
Composition History
Dvořák's first song cycle, Cypresses, was inspired by his unrequited love for Josefina Čermáková, one of his piano students.
Composer Biography
Antonín Dvořák, while still unknown as a composer, earned his living as a violist in Prague and gave piano lessons to supplement his income.
You might also enjoy...
Dvořák: Mélodies, Lieder
Songs my mother taught me
Albéniz: Complete Works for Voice & Piano
Songs my mother taught me
Like the Sky in Rome
Artur Schnabel: Complete Vocal Works
Clara
The Artist's Secret
Mahler: Urlicht - Lieder
Mahler: Songs of Youth; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
