The 'Songs from the Dvůr Králové Manuscript' were based on texts believed by Dvořák and his contemporaries to be original 13th-century Slavonic texts, but were later found to be imitations by student Václav Hanka.
Composer Biography
Antonín Dvořák, at 24, earned his living as a violist in the Czech Provisional Theatre in Prague and gave piano lessons to supplement his income.
Performer Biography
Bernarda Fink, the performer on this album, has extensive knowledge of Czech music due to her Slovene origins, language mastery, and collaborations with Czech orchestras, including one conducted by Josef Suk, Antonín Dvořák's great-great-grandson.
Composition History
Dvořák's first song cycle, 'Cypresses', was inspired by his unrequited love for Josefina Čermáková, one of his piano students, whom he later married her younger sister Anna.
Compositional Technique
In the 'Gypsy Melodies', Dvořák used the 'gypsy scale' and imitated the sound of the cimbalom in the piano accompaniment to add an exotic coloring, despite the work's underlying Czech nationalist character.
Composer Biography
Dvořák composed a significant number of songs, with no fewer than ninety-three for solo voice and piano, in addition to pieces for voice and organ and numerous duets.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dvořák, like his elder Bedřich Smetana, incorporated elements of Czech folk music into his compositions, contributing to the international recognition of Czech art music.
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