Antonin Dvorak and The New World Symphony

An understanding of classical music in general, and the symphony in particular, came to me when studying Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, also referred to as the New World Symphony.

One of the jobs I had to pay my way through undergraduate college was working as a ticket agent in a Trailways bus station. In between buses and customers there could be long lapses of time with nothing to do. One afternoon I sat with a book on music appreciation (I can't find the book, though I know I have it somewhere) and a tape player with a recording of the New World symphony. The book had an entire chapter dedicated to this piece of music, chosen because the themes in the work are somewhat obvious and they repeat several times. In the chapter were bits of written music that showed the themes, and I could read enough music to know what they should be. I played the first few minutes of the first movement over and over until I finally heard the theme.

It was as if some sort of aural curtain had fallen from my ears. I did hear the theme, and heard it repeat again and again, and heard the variations on it. It took some time, but eventually I heard another theme, and finally I begin to grasp that classical music is not some semi-random series of notes but that there is form and structure to it, and, furthermore, beauty.

Dvorak was born September 8, 1841 in Bohemia, the son of an innkeeper. He studied at the Organ School of Prague from 1857 to 1859, and played viola for the Czech National Theater Orchestra from 1861 to 1871. He was a contemporary and friend of Johannes Brahms, who was one of his biggest advocates. He also worked with Bedrich Smetana; together these two would put Czech nationalism into classical music works.

There's a great write-up of how Dvorak came to the United States. He was lured to America by a patroness of music with a promise of a huge salary. One of his students was a black musician by the name of Henry Thacker Burleigh. Burleigh introduced the Negro spiritual to Dvorak (purportedly Swing Low, Sweet Chariot). It was in Black and Native American music that Dvorak believed America could find and develop its musical heritage. This was the inspiration for his ninth symphony.

The symphony's first movement (adagio allegro molto) starts with a quiet introduction that builds in volume and hints at the first theme. After a tympanic cadence, the first theme is introduced and repeated by different parts of the orchestra. Soon other themes in both major and minor chords are introduced, and Dvorak intersperses the themes and moves in and out of them throughout the movement. One of the things that is so great about this piece of music is that the themes are obvious and repeat enough times that they are easy to hear.

The second movement (largo) is a beautiful piece of music. The first theme you hear was later turned into the folk song/jazz tune Going Home.

If you were lulled by the second movement, the third movement (scherzo: molto vivace) will wake you up with an introduction from tympany and a simple theme from the woodwinds. This gives way to a theme that evokes visions of a quiet countryside. The first theme is never far away, however, and even the first theme from the first movement will make a brief cameo.

The introduction to the fourth movement (allegro cob fuoco) reminds one of the theme from the movie Jaws. Themes from earlier in the work, including Going Home will make an appearance again here, and new themes will be developed.

What is there to say about this piece of music? It is wonderful to just sit back and listen, and does not require some sort of expert's ear to appreciate. It is an evocative work. If you are looking to get started in classical music, this work is a good place to start.