Piano Trio No. 4 (Dvorák)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor (also called Dumky trio from the subtitle Dumky) is a piece by Antonin Dvořák
for piano
, violin
and cello
. It is among the composer's most well-known works.
At the same time it is a prominent example for a piece of chamber music deviating strongly from the sonata
form.
, plural dumy, which refers to epic ballads, specifically a song or lament of captive people. During the nineteenth century, composers from other Slavic countries began using the duma as a classical form used to indicate a brooding, introspective composition with cheerful sections interspersed within. Dvořák used the dumka form in several other compositions, including his Dumka for Solo Piano, Op. 35; Slavonic Dance No. 2
; String Sextet
; and his Piano Quintet, Op. 81
on April 11, 1891 with violinist Ferdinand Lachner, cellist Hanuš Wihan, and Dvořák himself as pianist. On the same evening of the concert, the composer received an honorary doctorate from Prague’s Charles University. The work was so well received that it was presented on a forty-concert tour throughout Moravia and Bohemia, just before the composer departed for the United States to head the National Conservatory of Music
in New York City, where he would encourage American composers to explore their own folk music as a source for inspiration (see also Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák)
). The Trio was published while Dvořák was in America and was proofread by none other than his friend Johannes Brahms
.
The composition features six dumky episodes throughout. The initial three dumky are connected together without interruption in the harmonically complementary keys given above, in effect forming a long first movement. The final three dumky are presented in unrelated keys, thus giving the overall impression of a four-movement structure.
In his assessment, musicologist Stephen Hefling adds that "Whereas in the [Opus 81] quintet he had borrowed a plan from Schumann
to mold his dumka into a quasi-traditional framework, here he allows each of the six dumky to stand fully realized on its own."
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...
for piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, 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....
and 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...
. It is among the composer's most well-known works.
At the same time it is a prominent example for a piece of chamber music deviating strongly from 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.
Title
Dumky, the plural form of dumka, is a term introduced into Slavic languages from the Ukrainian. Originally, it is the diminutive form of the term dumaDuma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
, plural dumy, which refers to epic ballads, specifically a song or lament of captive people. During the nineteenth century, composers from other Slavic countries began using the duma as a classical form used to indicate a brooding, introspective composition with cheerful sections interspersed within. Dvořák used the dumka form in several other compositions, including his Dumka for Solo Piano, Op. 35; Slavonic Dance No. 2
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...
; String Sextet
String Sextet (Dvorák)
Antonín Dvořák´s String Sextet in A major Op. 48, for two violins, two violas and two cellos was composed for the most part in May 1878. It was Dvořák's first work to be premièred abroad....
; and his Piano Quintet, Op. 81
Piano Quintet No. 2 (Dvorák)
Antonín Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81, B. 155, is a quintet for piano, 2 violins, viola, and cello. It was composed between August 18 and October 8 of 1887, and was premiered in Prague on January 6, 1888...
History
The trio was completed on February 12, 1891. It premiered in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on April 11, 1891 with violinist Ferdinand Lachner, cellist Hanuš Wihan, and Dvořák himself as pianist. On the same evening of the concert, the composer received an honorary doctorate from Prague’s Charles University. The work was so well received that it was presented on a forty-concert tour throughout Moravia and Bohemia, just before the composer departed for the United States to head the National Conservatory of Music
National Conservatory of Music of America
The National Conservatory of Music of America was an institution for higher education in music founded in 1885 in New York City by Jeannette Meyers Thurber...
in New York City, where he would encourage American composers to explore their own folk music as a source for inspiration (see also Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák)
Symphony No. 9 (Dvorák)
The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 , popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is by far his most popular symphony, and one of the most popular in the modern repertoire...
). The Trio was published while Dvořák was in America and was proofread by none other than his friend Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
.
Structure
The piece is in six sections:- Lento Maestoso (E minor and major)
- Poco Adagio (C minor)
- Andante (A major)
- Andante Moderato (Quasi Tempo di Marcia) (D minor and major)
- Allegro (E major and minor)
- Lento Maestoso (C minor and major)
The composition features six dumky episodes throughout. The initial three dumky are connected together without interruption in the harmonically complementary keys given above, in effect forming a long first movement. The final three dumky are presented in unrelated keys, thus giving the overall impression of a four-movement structure.
Style
Music critic Daniel Felsenfeld describes the piece in the following way:
The form of the piece is structurally simple but emotionally complicated, being an uninhibited Bohemian lament. Considered essentially formless, at least by classical standards, it is more like a six movement dark fantasia — completely original and successful, a benchmark piece for the composer. Being completely free of the rigors of sonata form gave Dvořák license to take the movements to some dizzying, heavy, SlavicSlavic peoplesThe Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
places, able to be both brooding and yet somehow, through it all, a little lighthearted.
In his assessment, musicologist Stephen Hefling adds that "Whereas in the [Opus 81] quintet he had borrowed a plan from Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
to mold his dumka into a quasi-traditional framework, here he allows each of the six dumky to stand fully realized on its own."
External links
- This is a VideoVideoVideo is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
(AudioAudioAudio is an electrical or other representation of sound.Audio may also refer to:*Audio, audible content in media production and publishing*AUDIO , an American R&B band of 5 brothers formerly known as TNT Boyz and as B5...
) by YouTube of a live performance, where all six movements of the piece are being performed in San Francisco 2008 by the Beaux Arts TrioBeaux Arts TrioThe Beaux Arts Trio was a noted piano trio. They made their debut on July 13, 1955 at the Berkshire Music Festival, known today as the Tanglewood Music Center. Their final American concert was held at Tanglewood on August 21, 2008. It was webcast live and archived on NPR Music...
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