The ''Slavonic Dances'' ( cs, Slovanské tance) are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed by
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...
in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as
Op. 46 and Op. 72 respectively. Originally written for
piano four hands
Piano four hands (french: À quatre mains, german: Zu vier Händen, Vierhändig, it, a quattro mani) is a type of piano duet involving two players playing the same piano simultaneously. A duet with the players playing separate instruments is ...
, the ''Slavonic Dances'' were inspired by
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...
's own ''
Hungarian Dances Hungarian dance refers to the folk dances practised and performed by the Hungarians, both amongst the populations native to Hungary and its neighbours, and also amongst the Hungarian diaspora.
According to György Martin, a prominent folklore expe ...
'' and were orchestrated at the request of Dvořák's publisher soon after composition. The pieces, lively and full of national character, were well received at the time and today are considered among the composer's most memorable works, occasionally making appearances in popular culture. “Contrary to what the title might suggest, the dances are not so much inspired by Slavic folk music generally, but specifically by styles and forms from
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
. In these pieces, Dvořák never actually quotes folk melodies, but evokes their style and spirit by using traditional rhythmic patterns and structures in keeping with traditional folk dances.”
The Op. 46 set is listed in the
Burghauser catalogue as B. 78 in the original piano four hand version, and as B. 83 in the orchestral version. The Op. 72 set is catalogued as B. 145 in the piano four hand version, and as B. 147 in the orchestral version.
In Simrock's original edition of the piano duet, no. 3 was the D major Sousedská and no. 6 the A flat major Polka - an order apparently approved by Dvořák. Their positions were reversed in the orchestral version. Both orders are still found.
Composition
Prior to the publication of the ''Slavonic Dances'', Op. 46, Dvořák was a relatively unknown composer and was of modest means. Consequently, he had applied for the Austrian State Prize fellowship (German "Stipendium") in order to fund his composing work. After he won the prize three times in four years (1874, 1876 and 1877), Johannes Brahms, as one of the members of the committee responsible for awarding the stipend, referred Dvořák to his own publisher,
Fritz Simrock
Friedrich August Simrock, better known as Fritz Simrock (January 2, 1837 in Bonn – August 20, 1901 in Ouchy) was a German music publisher who inherited a publishing firm from his grandfather Nikolaus Simrock. Simrock is most noted for publishing ...
. The first of Dvořák's music to be published by Simrock was the ''
Moravian Duets'', which attained widespread success; encouraged, Simrock asked the composer to write something with a dance-like character.
Unsure how to begin, Dvořák used Brahms's ''Hungarian Dances'' as a model—but only as a model; there are a number of important differences between the two works.
For example, whereas Brahms made use of actual Hungarian folk melodies, Dvořák only made use of the characteristic rhythms of Slavic folk music: the melodies are entirely his own. Simrock was immediately impressed by the music Dvořák produced (originally for piano four hands), and asked the composer for an orchestral version as well. Both versions were published within the year, and quickly established Dvořák's international reputation.
The enormous success of the Op. 46 dances led Simrock to request another set of ''Slavonic Dances'' in 1886; Dvořák's subsequent Op. 72 dances met with a similar reception.
Orchestration
The orchestration for the ''Slavonic Dances'', with minor variations for each number, is as follows:
;
Woodwinds
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...
:
:
piccolo
The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
:2
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
s
:2
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
A ...
s
:2
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
s
:2
bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
s
;
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...
:
:4
horns Horns or The Horns may refer to:
* Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells
* The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain
* ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...
:2
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
s
:3
trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...
s
;
Percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
:
:
timpani
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...
:
cymbal
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
s
:
bass drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...
:
triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC.
In Euclidean geometry, an ...
;
Strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
:
:
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
s I and II
:
viola
The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...
s
:
violoncello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D ...
s
:
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
es
The music
The types of dances upon which Dvořák based his music include the
furiant
A furiant is a rapid and fiery Bohemian dance in alternating 2/4 and 3/4 time, with frequently shifting accents; or, in "art music", in 3/4 time "with strong accents forming pairs of beats".
The stylised form of the dance was often used by Czech ...
, the
dumka
Dumka ( Santali: ᱫᱩᱢᱠᱟᱹ), the headquarters of the Dumka district and Santhal Pargana region, is a city in the state of Jharkhand, India. It was made the headquarters of the Santhal Pargana region, which was carved out of the Bha ...
, the
polka
Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.
History
Etymology
The term ...
, the
sousedská The sousedská is a semi-slow Bohemian dance in three quarter time. It has a calm, swaying character and it is usually danced in a pair.
The dance was used by some Czech composers, including Antonín Dvořák, who used it in his ''Slavonic Dances
...
, the
skočná
Skočná is a rapid Slavic folk-dance, normally in metre. Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana used this dance, the latter in the third act of ''The Bartered Bride'' where it is danced by a circus troupe and is often known as t ...
, the
mazurka
The mazurka (Polish: ''mazur'' Polish ball dance, one of the five Polish national dances and ''mazurek'' Polish folk dance') is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character de ...
, the
odzemek
The Odzemek (in slovak Odzemok) is a Slovak solo traditional dance for men which always has an improvised character. The dance starts out slow and gets faster as the dance goes on, and is traditionally danced in Slovakia and also Moravian Wallachi ...
, the
špacírka, the
kolo
Kolo may refer to:
Places Poland
*Koło
*Koło, Łódź Voivodeship
* Koło, Lublin Voivodeship
* Koło, Lubusz Voivodeship
Other places
* Kolo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Kolo, Central African Republic
* Kolo (Tanzanian ward), Kondoa district, Dod ...
and the
polonaise
The polonaise (, ; pl, polonez ) is a dance of Polish origin, one of the five Polish national dances in time. Its name is French for "Polish" adjective feminine/"Polish woman"/"girl". The original Polish name of the dance is Chodzony, meani ...
. Despite their name, the Slavonic Dances make use of only West Slavic (and one South Slavic) dance patterns;
Russian folk dance
Russian folk dance (russian: Русский народный танец) is an important part of Russian culture. Some of the unique characteristics suggest that many elements were developed by the early Russian population.
History
Many Russian ...
s and
Ukrainian dance
''Ukrainian dance'' ( uk, Український тaнeць, translit. ''Ukrainian 'tanets' '') mostly refers to the traditional folk dances of the Ukrainians as an ethnic group, but may also refer dance of the other ethnic groups within Ukrain ...
s are not represented. A full performance of each opus typically takes approximately 35–40 minutes.
Opus 46
*No. 1 in C major (''
Furiant
A furiant is a rapid and fiery Bohemian dance in alternating 2/4 and 3/4 time, with frequently shifting accents; or, in "art music", in 3/4 time "with strong accents forming pairs of beats".
The stylised form of the dance was often used by Czech ...
'')
*No. 2 in E minor (''
Dumka
Dumka ( Santali: ᱫᱩᱢᱠᱟᱹ), the headquarters of the Dumka district and Santhal Pargana region, is a city in the state of Jharkhand, India. It was made the headquarters of the Santhal Pargana region, which was carved out of the Bha ...
'')
*No. 3 in A major (''
Polka
Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.
History
Etymology
The term ...
'') (in some editions, no. 6: see above)
*No. 4 in F major (''
Sousedská The sousedská is a semi-slow Bohemian dance in three quarter time. It has a calm, swaying character and it is usually danced in a pair.
The dance was used by some Czech composers, including Antonín Dvořák, who used it in his ''Slavonic Dances
...
'')
*No. 5 in A major (''
Skočná
Skočná is a rapid Slavic folk-dance, normally in metre. Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana used this dance, the latter in the third act of ''The Bartered Bride'' where it is danced by a circus troupe and is often known as t ...
'')
*No. 6 in D major (''
Sousedská The sousedská is a semi-slow Bohemian dance in three quarter time. It has a calm, swaying character and it is usually danced in a pair.
The dance was used by some Czech composers, including Antonín Dvořák, who used it in his ''Slavonic Dances
...
'') (in some editions, no. 3: see above)
*No. 7 in C minor (''
Skočná
Skočná is a rapid Slavic folk-dance, normally in metre. Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana used this dance, the latter in the third act of ''The Bartered Bride'' where it is danced by a circus troupe and is often known as t ...
'')
*No. 8 in G minor (''
Furiant
A furiant is a rapid and fiery Bohemian dance in alternating 2/4 and 3/4 time, with frequently shifting accents; or, in "art music", in 3/4 time "with strong accents forming pairs of beats".
The stylised form of the dance was often used by Czech ...
'')
Dvořák arranged No. 2 for
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
and piano under B. 170, and Nos. 3 and 8 for
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
and piano under B. 172.
Opus 72
The dances of this opus are sometimes numbered separately from the first and sometimes as numbers 9–16. Most editions give both numbers.
*No. 1 (9) in B major (''
Odzemek
The Odzemek (in slovak Odzemok) is a Slovak solo traditional dance for men which always has an improvised character. The dance starts out slow and gets faster as the dance goes on, and is traditionally danced in Slovakia and also Moravian Wallachi ...
'')
*No. 2 (10) in E minor (''Starodávný'', or Dumka, traditional dance)
*No. 3 (11) in F major (''
Skočná
Skočná is a rapid Slavic folk-dance, normally in metre. Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana used this dance, the latter in the third act of ''The Bartered Bride'' where it is danced by a circus troupe and is often known as t ...
'')
*No. 4 (12) in D major (''
Dumka
Dumka ( Santali: ᱫᱩᱢᱠᱟᱹ), the headquarters of the Dumka district and Santhal Pargana region, is a city in the state of Jharkhand, India. It was made the headquarters of the Santhal Pargana region, which was carved out of the Bha ...
'')
*No. 5 (13) in B minor (''
Špacírka The Špacírka is a moderately fast Bohemian dance in time. The dance starts out slowly with the dancer(s) walking; it is from this that the dance got its name: in Czech "''špacírovat''" (coming from the German word ''Spazieren'') means "to walk ...
'')
*No. 6 (14) in B major (''Starodávný'', traditional dance)
*No. 7 (15) in C major (''
Kolo
Kolo may refer to:
Places Poland
*Koło
*Koło, Łódź Voivodeship
* Koło, Lublin Voivodeship
* Koło, Lubusz Voivodeship
Other places
* Kolo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Kolo, Central African Republic
* Kolo (Tanzanian ward), Kondoa district, Dod ...
'')
*No. 8 (16) in A major (''
Sousedská The sousedská is a semi-slow Bohemian dance in three quarter time. It has a calm, swaying character and it is usually danced in a pair.
The dance was used by some Czech composers, including Antonín Dvořák, who used it in his ''Slavonic Dances
...
'')
See also
*
Musical nationalism
Musical nationalism refers to the use of musical ideas or motifs that are identified with a specific country, region, or ethnicity, such as folk tunes and melodies, rhythms, and harmonies inspired by them.
History
As a musical movement, nation ...
References
External links
*
Further information on antonin-dvorak.czVáclav Talich recording Dvorak Slavonic Dances with the Czech Philharmonic in 1955
{{authority control
Compositions by Antonín Dvořák
Compositions for piano four-hands
1878 compositions
1886 compositions
Compositions for orchestra
Compositions for violin and piano