Antonín Leopold DvoÅ™ák (1841 - 1904) was a Czech composer. DvoÅ™ák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predecessor BedÅ™ich Smetana. DvoÅ™ák's style has been described as "the fullest recreation of a national idiom with that of the symphonic tradition, absorbing folk influences and finding effective ways of using them," and he himself has been described as "arguably the most versatile... composer of his time". He displayed his musical gifts at an early age, being an apt violin student. The first public performances of his works were in Prague in 1872 and, with special success, in 1873, when he was 31 years old. Seeking recognition beyond the Prague area, he submitted scores of symphonies and other works to German and Austrian competitions. He did not win a prize until 1874, with Johannes Brahms on the jury of the Austrian State Competition. In 1877, after his third win, Brahms recommended DvoÅ™ák to his publisher, Simrock, who commissioned what became the Slavonic Dances, Op. 46. The sheet music's high sales and critical reception led to his international success. A London performance of DvoÅ™ák's Stabat Mater in 1883 led to many other performances in the United Kingdom, the United States, and eventually Russia in March 1890. The Seventh Symphony was written for London in 1885.

"Songs My Mother Taught Me" (Czech: Když mne stará matka zpívat učívala; German: Als die alte Mutter sang) is a song for voice and piano written in 1880 by Antonín DvoÅ™ák. It is the fourth of seven songs from his cycle Gypsy Songs (Czech: Cigánské melodie), B. 104, Op. 55. The Gypsy Songs are set to poems by Adolf Heyduk in both Czech and German. This song in particular has achieved widespread fame. The song has been recorded by a number of well-known singers, including Jarmila Novotná, Gabriela Beňačková, Evan Williams, Gervase Elwes, Nellie Melba, Rosa Ponselle, Jeanette MacDonald, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Angeles, Joan Sutherland, Paul Robeson, Frederica von Stade, Edita Gruberová, Angela Gheorghiu, Magdalena Kožená, and Renée Fleming.

Fritz Kreisler transcribed the song for violin and piano and performed it frequently. His transcription was first published in 1914. Artists who have recorded instrumental versions of the song include Kreisler himself, Glenn Miller, Josef Suk, Yo-Yo Ma, Alisa Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell or Tine Thing Helseth. The title Songs My Mother Taught Me has frequently been used by singers in recitals or on recital discs even when the song itself is not included in the recording.

Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_My_Mother_Taught_M e_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k)).

Although originally composed for Voice & Piano, I created this Arrangement of "Cigánské Melodie" (Gypsy Melody) from "Als die alte Mutter" (Songs my mother taught me) Op. 55 B. 104 No. 4 for Flute & Piano.