Slavonic Dances ANTONIN DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) “In connection with the State Scholarship, I have been receiving a lot of pleasure for several years past from the work of Anton Dvořák from Prague. This year he sent in, among other things, some duets, which seem to be quite charming and practical for publication… He has written all kinds of things, operas, symphonies, quartets, piano pieces. He is certainly a very talented fellow. And incidentally, poor! I beg of you to consider that!” “Dvořák has what is most essential for a musician, and it is to be found in these pieces… In short, I don’t like to do more than recommend Dvořák in a general way. Besides you have your own ears and your business experience, and that must have its say too.” These are excerpts of two letters written by none other than Johannes Brahms to his publisher Fritz Simrock of Berlin. Concerning Dvořák, Simrock’s business sense was as acute as Brahms’ ears. He commissioned the first series of Slavonic Dances for Piano Four Hands (four hand piano music being a popular medium for amateur music-making), with the hope that they would be as successful and lucrative as Brahms' Hungarian Dances. Indeed they were! ca. 17 mins. Through their publication in 1878 as op. 46, Dvořák, then principal violist in Prague’s Provincial Theatre Orchestra, gained international fame and fortune. The Slavonic Dances sold so well that Simrock asked Dvořák to orchestrate them. It is in the orchestral version that the works are best known and most frequently performed. Some eight years later Dvořák composed the second series, again in versions for piano four hands and orchestra, published as op. 72 in 1886. They proved to be as popular as the first set. In these pieces Dvořák captured the spirit of the folk dances of his native Bohemia, as well as those of Slovakia, Moravia, Silesia, Serbia, Poland and Ukraine. Dvořák differed from Brahms in two respects. Brahms used actual melodies from Hungarian Gipsy folk songs and dances, while Dvořák composed original tunes in the style of Slavic folk dances and almost never quoted them directly. Dvořák made orchestral arrangements of all 16 of his Slavonic Dances, whereas Brahms orchestrated only three of his 21 Hungarian Dances and left the rest for others to transcribe. In fact, the last five of Brahms’ dances were orchestrated by Dvořák. Op. 46 No. 1, Presto Op. 72 No. 5, Poco Adagio—Vivace Op. 72 No. 8, Grazioso e lento, ma non troppo Op. 46 No. 8, Presto
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