Serenade for Strings (Dvořák)

Antonín Dvořák's Serenade for Strings in E major ( cs, Smyčcová serenáda E dur), Op. 22 (B. 52), is one of the composer's most popular orchestral works. It was composed in just two weeks in May 1875.

Composition and premiere

By 1875, Dvořák was gaining recognition as a composer. He received a generous stipend from a commission in Vienna, allowing him to write the ''Serenade'', in addition to Symphony No. 5, String Quintet No. 2, Piano Trio No. 1, the opera ''Vanda'', and the '' Moravian Duets''. Dvořák is said to have written the ''Serenade'' in just 12 days, from 3 to 14 May.

The piece premiered in Prague on 10 December 1876 by Adolf Čech and the combined orchestras of the Czech and German theatres. Dvořák's piano duet arrangement was published in Prague in 1877 by Emanuel Starý. Two years later, Bote & Bock published the score in Berlin.

Form

Dvořák's ''Serenade for Strings'' consists of five movements:

With the exception of the finale, which is in modified sonata form, each movement follows a rough ABA form. It is believed that Dvořák took up this small orchestral genre because it was less demanding than the symphony, but allowed for the provision of pleasure and entertainment. The piece combines cantabile style (first movement), a slow waltz (second movement), humorous high spirits (third movement), lyrical beauty (fourth movement) and exuberance (fifth movement).Doge, Klaus
"Dvorak, Antonin"
Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 23 November 2009.

Scoring

The work is scored for full string orchestra, with staves for Violin I & 2, Viola, Cello and Contrabass (double bass). It is typically performed with 4–6 instruments per part, though usually 2 or 3 double basses are sufficient.

Description of movements

I. ''Moderato''

The first movement starts off the ''Serenade'' in the key of E major. The second violins and cellos introduce the lyrical main theme over an eighth note pulse in the violas. The theme is traded back and forth, and the second violins reprise it under a soaring passage in the firsts.

At measure 31, the movement modulates into G major and presents a new, dancelike theme, based on a dotted rhythm. At measure 54, the movement modulates back into E major and the primary theme returns. The movement ends on three E major chords.

II. ''Tempo di Valse''

The second movement, a waltz, opens with a lilting dance melody in C minor. The first section repeats, and the second section begins in E Mixolydian. A string of eighth notes in the violins transitions into the second theme in A major. The first theme returns, and Part A is closed with a cadential fortissimo C-sharp minor chord.

Part B opens with a modulation into the enharmonic parallel major of D major. This section's theme is developed, and then Part A returns. The movement ends on a C major chord.

III. ''Scherzo: Vivace''

The third movement is a lively, hyperactive Scherzo in F major. The theme is stated and subsequently developed in sections of different tempos and moods, including a foray into A major. The most monothematic movement yet, the scherzo ends with a coda combining material from the scherzo and trio.

IV. ''Larghetto''

The slow movement of the ''Serenade'' is tranquil and wistful. Its flowing melodies and tender phrases form a buffer between the vigorous third and fifth movements. The third theme of the second movement is quoted repeatedly throughout.

V. ''Finale: Allegro vivace''

The fifth movement is a lively, offbeat finale, conveying the spirit of a Bohemian village dance. The principal theme is a descending figure based on thirds with accents on weak beats. More thematic material enters at bar 32 as the violins and cellos trade calls and responses over running eighths in the violas. A third theme based primarily on sixteenth-note upbeats appears at bar 87. A wistful recollection of the melody from the preceding Larghetto appears and then diminuendos away.

The movement's recapitulation starts with the main theme, followed in turn by the second and third themes. A 20-bar eighth-note passage leads into a quotation of the first movement's theme, bringing the piece full circle. A ''Presto'' coda follows, and the ''Serenade'' ends with three E major chords.

Quotes and interpretation

See also

* Serenade for Strings (Elgar)
* Serenade for Strings (Tchaikovsky)

References

*Dvořák, Antonín: ''Serenata, Op. 22. Partitura''. (Score) Praha: Editio Bärenreiter, 2000. H 971

External links

Serenade for Strings
on a comprehensive Dvorak site


Portland Chamber Orchestra


Kremlin Chamber Orchestra
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serenade for Strings (Dvorak)
Compositions by Antonín Dvořák
Dvorak
Compositions for string orchestra
1875 compositions
Compositions in E major