String Sextet (Dvorák)
Encyclopedia
Antonín Dvořák
´s String Sextet in A major Op. 48, (B. 80) for two violin
s, two viola
s and two cello
s was composed for the most part in May 1878. It was Dvořák's first work to be premièred abroad.
The period 1875-1879 was very important in Dvořák's life. The composer received a government grant in that time, and that enabled him to concentrate solely on composing. The sense of responsibility led Dvořák to hard and prolific work, and one of the results of his activity was the String Sextet.
Dvořák's German publisher Simrock offered the work to his friend and collaborator Joseph Joachim
(famous violinist and leader of the string quartet), and he together with other artists performed the work privately on 19 July 1879. The composer was present and was very enchanted by the performance. The next day he wrote to his friend Alois Göbl: "...Joachim waited with eagerness for my arrival and even organized a soirée for my sake. During the celebration they´ve played my new quartet and sextet. They played with great understanding and enthusiasm..."
The composition was published by Fritz Simrock
in 1879, the critical edition of the work was printed in 1957.
:
The work was composed at the same time as the Slavonic Rhapsodies (Op. 45) and Slavonic Dances
(Op. 46). Written in similar style, it can be also called "Slavonic". Two inner movements are partly stylisations of Dumka and partly of the folk Furiant. The first movement is written in the sonata
form, and the last part is composed in the form of variations, in the soft, meditative mood.
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
´s String Sextet in A major Op. 48, (B. 80) for two violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, two viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s and two cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s was composed for the most part in May 1878. It was Dvořák's first work to be premièred abroad.
The period 1875-1879 was very important in Dvořák's life. The composer received a government grant in that time, and that enabled him to concentrate solely on composing. The sense of responsibility led Dvořák to hard and prolific work, and one of the results of his activity was the String Sextet.
Dvořák's German publisher Simrock offered the work to his friend and collaborator Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
(famous violinist and leader of the string quartet), and he together with other artists performed the work privately on 19 July 1879. The composer was present and was very enchanted by the performance. The next day he wrote to his friend Alois Göbl: "...Joachim waited with eagerness for my arrival and even organized a soirée for my sake. During the celebration they´ve played my new quartet and sextet. They played with great understanding and enthusiasm..."
The composition was published by Fritz Simrock
Fritz Simrock
Friedrich August Simrock, better known as Fritz Simrock was a German music publisher who inherited a publishing firm from his grandfather Nicolaus Simrock...
in 1879, the critical edition of the work was printed in 1957.
Structure
The composition consists of four movementsMovement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- I. Allegro. Moderato
- II. Dumka. Poco allegretto
- III. FuriantFuriantA Furiant is a rapid and fiery Bohemian dance in 2/4 and 3/4 time, with frequently shifting accents.The stylised form of the dance was often used by Czech composers such as Antonin Dvořák in the eighth dance from his Slavonic Dances and in his 6th Symphony, and by Bedřich Smetana in The Bartered...
. Presto - IV. Finale. Tema con variazioniVariation (music)In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
. Allegretto grazioso, quasi andantino
The work was composed at the same time as the Slavonic Rhapsodies (Op. 45) and Slavonic Dances
Slavonic Dances
The Slavonic Dances are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as Opus 46 and Opus 72 respectively. Originally written for piano four hands, the Slavonic Dances were inspired by Johannes Brahms's own Hungarian Dances and were...
(Op. 46). Written in similar style, it can be also called "Slavonic". Two inner movements are partly stylisations of Dumka and partly of the folk Furiant. The first movement is written in the sonata
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
form, and the last part is composed in the form of variations, in the soft, meditative mood.
External links
Selected recordings
- String Quintet No. 2, String Sextet. Supraphon 1992. (11 1461-2 131).http://www.supraphon.cz/cs/katalog/databaze-titulu/detail-titulu/?idtitulu=2013307 (Panocha Quartet)