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Program Notes Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) As the eldest son of a Czechoslovakian innkeeper and butcher, Dvorak came from humble origins. He received his earliest musical education at his village school and later at the nearby town of Zlonice. In 1859 completed his studies at the Prague organ school. From 1859 to 1871 he earned his living as a piano teacher and as a violist for a Provisional theatre orchestra, where he played under Smetana and Wagner, among others. Unbeknownst to all but his closest friends, during this time he was also teaching himself to compose and gradually building up a body of both small-and large-scale compositions. He received his first public performances in 1871 in Prague, and his first major public success in 1873 with a performance of a patriotic cantata "The Heirs of the White Mountain." Dvorak's music combines a synthesis of his contemporaries Wagner and Brahms and the classical composers with his own generally optimistic outlook and, in some works, elements of Czech folk music. While he often sees to display an effortless fecundity of ideas (his publisher Simrock described him as a composer who could "pull melodies out of his sleeve"), his sketches show that he often composed more slowly and self-critically than his music may lead one to suppose. Along with his friend Brahms he is one of the few composers of the late 19th century to produce new masterworks of chamber music. Dvorak's String Quintet Op. 77 is a revision of an earlier work written in 1875, a period when he moved away from the influence of Wagner and Liszt and aimed for a clearer, more classical style. Dvorak composed the work just after completing a comic opera The Stubborn Lovers, and the influence of the theater can be felt in the large-scale effects and good humor of the first and last movements. The first movement is especially notable for its large scale and thematic economy. The introduction presents two ideas that are the basis of almost all the themes that follow: a slow descending figure spanning a third, played by the lower strings, and a more buoyant figure, played by the upper strings. After an energetic first subject, the string quartet without the bass presents a lighter and more naove subject marked by a repeated triplet rhythm. An unusual feature of the second subject is that it is in F major (the flattened 7th scale degree) rather than the conventional D major. This may have its roots in Czech folk music, which often emphasizes the lowered 7th scale degree. After more energetic closing material, the lower instruments again play the slow descending figure to usher in the development section. The development opens with two main themes of the exposition in counterpoint and continues with several references to the descending third. The recapitulation reorders the themes: it first presents the light second subject and concludes with the energetic first subject and another reference to the descending third figure. In his second and third movements Dvorak displays his gift for imaginative instrumentation and creating beautiful and memorable melody. The second movement opens with lively e minor scherzo. The central section of the scherzo, in E major, contains a characteristically Moravian modulation down by whole step. The trio presents a more languid melody in C major. The third movement, Poco Andante, opens with a long-breathed and tender melody. In the central section the violin and 'cello are each given the opportunity to play soaring lines that are related to the opening melody. The movement ends with a shortened restatement of the opening and brief coda. The finale returns to the large scale and good humor of the first movement. The first five notes of the finale's theme are identical to those of the scherzo, though in a different rhythm. Later in the finale the quintet also makes references to motives of the first movement.
Jean Francaix (1912-1997) Jean Francaix was born into a highly musical family, and displayed facility for composition at an early age. He studied piano at the Conservatoire in Paris and composition with Nadia Boulanger. He wrote in all genres, including music for film and the theatre. The Divertissement, written in 1947, provides an excellent example of his wit, clarity, and a sense of classical reserve. The first movement, Vivace, opens with a sprightly and infectious melody that recurs frequently throughout. In contrasting episodes the strings introduce several brief and whimsical secondary motives. The second movement, Lento, presents a straightforward ABA aria. The opening accompaniment emphasizes changing between the raised and lowered third to give a tinge of blues. The third movement, Vivo assai, returns to a witty mood and takes the character of a scherzo. The central section begins with a piannississimo solo bassoon and continues with delicate cross-rhythms between the bassoon and individual strings. The fourth movement, Allegro, opens with a forthright introduction by the strings and later quotes themes from previous movements before reaching its humorous conclusion. Erno Dohnanyi (1877-1960) Erno Dohnanyi completed his education at the Budapest Academy, and made his debut as a concert pianist in 1898. By 1900 he had established himself as the greatest Hungarian pianist since Liszt, and one of the foremost pianists of his time. His tireless schedule of performances and musical advocacy made him a central figure in Hungarian concert music until his departure from the country in 1941 due to growing Nazi influences. As a pianist and conductor Dohnanyi also served to promote the music of his younger Hungarian colleagues Bartsk, Kodaly, and Weiner, even though their musical language was different than his own. Dohnanyi's first numbered work, published in 1895, was a piano quintet in c minor that shows the influence of Schumann and Brahms. In 1902 he struck out a more personal style that attempted to express the tonal language of the 19th century in more concentrated forms. This new style is evident in the pithy Serenade for Violin, Viola, and 'Cello, composed in 1902. The concentrated first movement, Marcia, opens with an exuberant dotted figure. A central section introduces a new melodic idea set against an accompaniment of repeated open fifths before the trio returns briefly back to the original march. The second movement, Romanza, opens with a long melody in the viola set against a pizzicato accompaniment in the violin and 'cello. The violin and 'cello then exchange passionate phrases until the violin returns with the original melody. A brief coda brings back the pizzicato accompaniment. The third movement, Scherzo, opens with a furious d minor fugato, after which the violin ushers a gentler melody in the parallel major key. The conclusion of the movement truncates and combines elements from both sections. The fourth movement, Tema con variazioni, presents a 16-measure theme and five variations. The third and fourth variations become more elaborate and animated and extend the length of the theme; the fifth variation presents a peaceful and expanded version of the theme in the parallel major. The final movement, rondo, is an exuberant sonata rondo that ends by quoting to the two themes from the opening movement before it's forceful conclusion. |