During Antonin Dvořák’s stay in the United States from 1892 to 1895, one of his primary goals was to discover “American” music and import its characteristics into his own compositions. In an article for Harper’s Monthly published shortly before his departure, Dvořák described how one looks for “native” music:  

An American reporter once told me that the most valuable talent a journalist could possess was a “nose for news.” Just so the musician must prick his ear for music. Nothing must be too low or too insignificant for the musician. When he walks, he should listen to every whistling boy, every street singer or blind organ grinder. I myself am often so fascinated by these people that I can scarcely tear myself away, for every now and then I catch a strain or hear the fragments of a recurring melodic theme that sound like the voice of the people. 

Dvořák began composing From the New World—his last symphony and the only one with a descriptive title—in the fall of 1892, shortly after he arrived in the United States. The New York Philharmonic gave the work’s premiere under Anton Seidl. Dvořák described the symphony as follows:

The Symphony . . . opens with a short introduction . . . This leads directly into the Allegro, which embodies the principles which I have already worked out in my Slavonic Dances: that is, to preserve, to translate into music, the spirit of a race as distinct in its national melodies or folk songs. 
 

The second movement is an Adagio [actually the famous Largo]. But it is different to the classic works in this form. It is in reality a study or sketch for a longer work, either a cantata or opera, which I purpose writing, and which will be based upon Longfellow's Hiawatha.



 The scherzo . . . was suggested by the scene at the feast in Hiawatha where the Indians dance and is also an essay which I made in the direction of imparting local color of an Indian character to music. 



[In the final movement] all the previous themes reappear and are treated in a variety of ways. The instruments are only those of what we call the “Beethoven orchestra” . . . There is no harp and I did not find it necessary to add any novel instrument in order to get the effect I wanted.