Antonin Dvorák: Five Late String Quartets: String Quartet: Score

SKU: HL.14000823

Village Gossip is the first movement of Czech composer Antonin Dvorak's cycle 'Five Choruses For Male Voice'.

The cycle of five choruses is set toLithuanian folk texts translated by Frantisek Ladislav Celakovsky and is written for unaccompanied male choir (TTBB Voices). The title page of the autograph score bears the note: Composed on the journey from Prague to Vienna,12thof December 1878.

The individual parts of the cycle present a vibrant palette of moods, from the balladic 'Dwellers by the Sea' to the final, light-hearted 'The Sparrow's Feast'. The songs' melodies echothe spirit of folk songs, and the composer used simple but colourful harmonies and chose a strophic form.

SKU: CF.WF232

ISBN 9781491153772. UPC: 680160911271.

Known internationally for superior flute editions, Robert Stallman continues his considerable expansion of the flute repertoire with re-creations, or “new” works for flute by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvořák, and other great composers.Conceived originally as a work for solo piano, this arrangement of Dvořák’s Suite in A Major for flute and piano is based on both the piano and orchestra versions. It is one in a series of Stallman’s “new” works for flute. Dvořák composed the Suite in A Major in 1894, inspired by his happy and fruitful stay in the “New World” —a period that produced some of his greatest works, full of thematic freshness, raw energy and folk influences, both American and Old World Czech. The “New World” Symphony, Cello Concerto, “American” Quartet, String Quintet in E≤ Major, the Violin Sonatina and this A Major Suite are all cut from the same musical cloth—textured with his personal impressions of the Wild West’s fascinating Indian and Afro-American music, its God-fearing and friendly people, its vast open spaces and its awe-inspiring natural beauty.
PrefaceConceived originally as a work for solo piano, the Suite in A Major was composed by Dvořák in 1894, during his famous two-year visit to the United States. He wrote the work in a mere ten days, and a year later made a full orchestration of it. The Suite was first performed in this second version in 1910 in Prague at the Rudolfinum. Dvořák, who died in 1904, never had a chance to hear a performance of this stirring orchestral realization.The Suite was inspired by the composer’s happy and fruitful stay in the “New World”, especially by his unforgettable summers spent in the quiet Czech-American village of Spillville, Iowa—a period that produced some of his greatest works, full of thematic freshness, raw energy and folk influences, both American and Old World Czech. The “New World” Symphony, Cello Concerto, “American” Quartet, String Quintet in Eb Major, the Violin Sonatina and this A Major Suite are all cut from the same musical cloth—textured with his personal impressions of the Wild West’s fascinating Indian and Afro-American music, its God-fearing and friendly people, its vast open spaces and its awe-inspiring natural beauty.Several of the Suite’s affecting melodies find echoes in these other, better known compositions of this American period. Wistful themes abound in all five movements, reflecting Dvořák’s transformative American experience as it found resonance in his own emotions. Contrasting with deeply felt, contemplative passages are Dvořák’s joyous and tempestuous expressions, which open the second, third and final movements.This arrangement for flute and piano is based on both the piano and orchestra versions. It is one in a series of my “new” works for flute by some of our greatest composers and I am delighted to add it to the collection. I predict that the A Major Suite will become a popular addition to our Romantic recital repertoire, much like the Dvořák Sonatina.—Robert StallmanMarblehead, Mass.June 1, 2018.