Orchesträlni rada Orchestral Series Jitka Slavikovä, 2004 English translation by Karolina Vocadlo Hughes, 2004 Symphony No. 9 is a reflection of all these feelings. What might be described as a fanfare for the new world, the motifof America (or hope?), is contained in the first movement Adagio. Allegro molto, with the main theme in the French horn, viola and cellos. Although Dvorak did not leave behind any Programme description of the symphony, in his own words, he was profoundly influenced by reading the epic of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Inspiration from this epic is again feit in the famous Largo (a wonderful melody in the cor anglais - the scene depicting the fo- rest burial of Minehaha), and in the following Scherzo (an Indian dance celebration in the forest).The Scherzo also contains a typical Czech folk dance, memories of the composer's time spent in his summer cottage in Vysokä near Pfibram. Similarly, the secondary theme in the last movement Allegro con fuoco is a reminiscence of a Czech folk melody. America - Bohemia, both are interwoven here in an inspired musical testimony. The new work excited both fervour and reproach, the latter focusing on an apparent dependence on Negro and Indian melodies. Dvorak did, in fact, speak on the subject several times in the press: the future of Ameri can music should not develop from European models; it should originate in the sources of American folk music. He declared that he had used "Negro themes" or Neg ro spirituals in his Ninth. This subsequently triggered the above-mentioned criticism, to which Dvorak feit compelled to respond, which he did in the New York Herold on 15 December:"l have not actually used any of the melodies. I have simply written original themes embodying the peculiarities of Indian music, and using harmonic counterpoint, and orchestral colour". The world premiere of the work was held on 16 De- cember 1893 in New York s Carnegie Hall, conducted by Anton Seidl; today the symphony is Dvofäk's most frequently performed work.The Largo, in all its various arrangements, became a true hit. The version “Goin' Home“ is equally populär, arranged by famous jazz pianist Art Tatum (1909-1956) and, before him, Dvorak s pupil William Arms Fischer wrote words for a choral arrangement with baritone solo. The music has been used in many films and was also played at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. Britons probably know it best from a television advertisement for Hovis bread made in 1970s and 1980s. Dvorak, the son of a butcher and publican, would have been hugely entertained had he predicted the destiny ofthe Largo.
