Antonín Dvořák

Born: September 8, 1841, in Nelahozeves, Bohemia
Died: May 1, 1904, in Prague

Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70

• Composed: 1884–85
  
• Premiere: April 22, 1885, London Philharmonic Orchestra, St. James’s Hall, London, Antonín Dvořák conducting
  
• Instrumentation: 2 flutes (incl. piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings
• CSO Notable Performances:
  • First: December 1940, Eugene Goossens conducting.
  • Most Recent: October 2016, Neeme Järvi conducting.
  • Notable: As part of the 2004 European Tour, Paavo Järvi conducting.
• Duration: approx. 35 minutes

Widely considered one of the most famous Czech composers, Antonín Dvořák composed masterfully in a wide variety of genres and styles. Over the course of his career, his compositional style shifted as he developed new musical languages and adopted new approaches. Dvořák’s music reflects the tensions of identity he experienced as a Czech composer loyal to his heritage and navigating a German musical network. His Symphony No. 7 was composed during a time when he faced anti-Czech sentiments and pressures to conform to German standards. 

Dvořák began learning to sing and play violin as a boy at the local village school, and he later learned piano, organ and continuo playing, and music theory in nearby towns. In 1857, he moved to Prague, where he continued his studies and began playing viola. Working as a musician in Prague gave Dvořák ample opportunities to perform, study, teach and attend concerts of music by contemporary composers from throughout Europe. As a violist in the Provisional Theatre orchestra, he performed French and German stage works as well as Italian operas. In 1866, the distinguished Czech composer Bedřich Smetana took over as conductor of the orchestra and introduced into the theatre’s repertoire more works by Czech and Slavic composers.              

While performing and teaching in Prague, Dvořák began to compose privately and gradually introduced his works to public audiences in the 1870s. During this time, Dvořák developed his technique by imitating the musical language of Mozart and Mendelssohn and extending through the style of Wagner and the progressive New German School before shifting to a new musical language that combined classicism with Slavonic folkloric elements. His compositions were well-received in Prague, and Dvořák soon gained a reputation as one of the foremost composers of the city. 

At this point in his career, Dvořák also began to seek recognition beyond Prague. He submitted several of his compositions in application for the Austrian State Stipendium during the years 1874 through 1878, and he was awarded monetary prizes each year. In addition to lending financial support, the competition brought Dvořák’s compositions to the attention of the members of the jury judging the works. One of the musicians sitting on the jury was Brahms, who found Dvořák’s music to be compelling and wrote to his German publisher, Fritz Simrock, on Dvořák’s behalf. In 1878, Simrock began publishing Dvořák’s music, sparking his international success by making his compositions available to concert halls throughout Germany and beyond. Positive reviews of Dvořák’s music appeared in newspapers, and musicians commissioned compositions from him as his publicity grew. He rapidly achieved fame both in Prague and abroad as a Czech composer of high merit. 

In the early 1880s, political tensions in Europe gave rise to anti-Czech sentiments in Vienna. This political climate placed Dvořák in a complicated position, as he wanted to remain loyal to his homeland while also seeking success in the Germanic musical scene. During this time of conflicting pressures in his compositional identity, Dvořák stepped back from the explicit Slavonic elements that permeated his earlier works. Hints of Slavonic tones became more subtle, and his music overall became darker and more dramatic. It was during this period that Dvořák composed his Symphony No. 7. 

Dvořák’s growing fame had spread to England, and in 1883, the Philharmonic Society invited him to London to conduct his own orchestral works. His visit in 1884 was a great success; the audiences and critics responded to his music with enthusiasm, and the Philharmonic Society declared him an honorary member. Dvořák promised to write a new symphony for the Philharmonic Society, and thus Symphony No. 7 was created. He returned to England several more times, including an April 1885 visit, during which he premiered his Seventh Symphony. England proved to be a fruitful and restorative refuge for Dvořák, far from the anti-Czech prejudices in Germany and Austria that colored the reception of his work. 

Dvořák began writing his Symphony No. 7 late in 1884. The serious and dramatic nature of his symphony reflects the complex emotions he had been experiencing in his crisis of compositional identity. The music also exhibits Dvořák’s ambition to compose a great symphony, inspired after hearing Brahms’s Third Symphony at the end of 1883. Dvořák was resolved to present the London Philharmonic Society with quality work. His choice of the key of D minor positions his Seventh Symphony alongside other great works in that key, including Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1. 

The first movement, Allegro maestoso, begins with the dark sounds of the low strings establishing the somber mood of D minor in the primary theme. A solo line in the horn and oboe momentarily breaks through the darkness, and the sweet B-flat major second theme in the flutes and clarinets lightens the atmosphere. The movement proceeds with drama, with the recapitulation bringing back the major-key second theme first followed by the minor-key main theme. As the movement comes to a close, the music grows in intensity before suddenly subsiding and ending in a subdued spirit. 

The second movement is a serene F major, opening with prayer-like melodies in the winds. Moments of heaviness and agitation threaten to disrupt the tranquility, but expressive solos and pastoral sweetness restore hopefulness. The second movement was originally much longer, bearing the tempo marking andante sostenuto instead of poco adagio. After its premiere in April 1885, Dvořák condensed the movement, and the new shorter form was published and has been performed ever since. 

The Scherzo third movement quietly introduces the syncopated rhythms of a furiant, a Czech folk dance, growing in energy to the full exuberance of the dance rhythm. A calmer pastoral Trio section takes over before the furiant music returns to conclude the movement. 

The fourth movement concludes the symphony with the drama and compositional mastery exhibited throughout the piece. An octave jump and pronounced shift in dynamics in the D minor first theme set the stage for the intensity to follow. The A major second theme is introduced by the cello and taken up by the flute and oboe, offering a moment of brightness. Emotional turbulence builds as the movement continues to develop, culminating in an expressive coda in D minor that turns to a resolute D major in the final bars.   

—©Dr. Rebecca Schreiber