Antonín Leopold Dvorák (1841 - 1904) was a Czech composer. Dvorák 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. Dvorák'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 Dvorák 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 Dvorák'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.

Antonín DvoÅ™ák's Serenade for Strings in E Major (Czech: Smyčcová serenáda E dur), Op. 22 (B. 52), is one of the composer's most popular orchestral works. It was composed in just two weeks in May 1875. By this time, DvoÅ™ák was gaining recognition as a composer. He received a generous stipend from a commission in Vienna, allowing him to write the Serenade, in addition to Symphony No. 5, String Quintet No. 2, Piano Trio No. 1, the opera Vanda, and the Moravian Duets. DvoÅ™ák is said to have written the Serenade in just 12 days, from 3 to 14 May. The piece premiered in Prague on 10 December 1876 by Adolf ÄŒech and the combined orchestras of the Czech and German theatres. DvoÅ™ák's piano duet arrangement was published in Prague in 1877 by Emanuel Starý. Two years later, Bote & Bock published the score in Berlin.

I. Moderato: The first movement starts off the Serenade in the key of E Major. The second violins and cellos introduce the lyrical main theme over an eighth note pulse in the violas. The theme is traded back and forth, and the second violins reprise it under a soaring passage in the firsts. At measure 31, the movement modulates into G Major and presents a new, dancelike theme, based on a dotted rhythm. At measure 54, the movement modulates back into E Major and the primary theme returns. The movement ends on three E Major chords.

II. Tempo di Valse: The second movement, a waltz, opens with a lilting dance melody in C-sharp Minor. The first section repeats, and the second section begins in E Mixolydian. A string of eighth notes in the violins transitions into the second theme in A Major. The first theme returns, and Part A is closed with a cadential fortissimo C-sharp Minor chord. Part B opens with a modulation into the enharmonic parallel Major of D-flat Major. This section's theme is developed, and then Part A returns. The movement ends on a C-sharp Major chord.

III. Scherzo - Vivace: The third movement is a lively, hyperactive Scherzo in F Major. The theme is stated and subsequently developed in sections of different tempos and moods, including a foray into A Major. The most monothematic movement yet, the scherzo ends with a coda combining material from the scherzo and trio.

IV. Larghetto: The slow movement of the Serenade is tranquil and wistful. Its flowing melodies and tender phrases form a buffer between the vigorous third and fifth movements. The third theme of the second movement is quoted repeatedly throughout.

V. Finale - Allegro vivace: The fifth movement is a lively, offbeat finale, conveying the spirit of a Bohemian village dance. The principal theme is a descending figure based on thirds with accents on weak beats. More thematic material enters at bar 32 as the violins and cellos trade calls and responses over running eighths in the violas. A third theme based primarily on sixteenth-note upbeats appears at bar 87. A wistful recollection of the melody from the preceding Larghetto appears and then diminuendos away. The movement's recapitulation starts with the main theme, followed in turn by the second and third themes. A 20-bar eighth-note passage leads into a quotation of the first movement's theme, bringing the piece full circle. A Presto coda follows, and the Serenade ends with three E Major chords.

Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenade_for_Strings_(Dv o%C5%99%C3%A1k)).

Although originally composed for String Ensemble, I created this Arrangement of the "Serenade for Strings" (Op. 22 B. 52) in E Major for Flute & Strings (2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Bass).