Symphony No. 8 (Dvorák)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, B. 163, was composed and orchestrated by Antonín Dvořák
within the two-and-a-half-month period from August 26 to November 8 1889 in Vysoká u Příbrami, Bohemia
. The score was dedicated: "To the Bohemian Academy of Emperor Franz Joseph for the Encouragement of Arts and Literature, in thanks for my election." Dvořák conducted the premiere in Prague
on February 2, 1890.
The Eighth Symphony is performed fairly frequently, but not nearly as often as the more famous Ninth Symphony
("From the New World"). In this regard the Eighth enjoys a similar status to the Seventh Symphony
, despite the two works' marked differences. While the Seventh is a stormy romantic work, the Eighth is cheery and draws its inspiration more from the Bohemian folk music that Dvořák loved.
A typical performance of the Eighth lasts about 36 minutes, making it one of Dvořák's shorter symphonies.
s (2nd doubling piccolo
)*, 2 oboe
s (1st doubling english horn)*, 2 clarinet
s, 2 bassoon
s, 4 horns
, 2 trumpet
s, 3 trombone
s, tuba
, timpani
, and strings
.
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
within the two-and-a-half-month period from August 26 to November 8 1889 in Vysoká u Příbrami, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. The score was dedicated: "To the Bohemian Academy of Emperor Franz Joseph for the Encouragement of Arts and Literature, in thanks for my election." Dvořák conducted the premiere in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on February 2, 1890.
The Eighth Symphony is performed fairly frequently, but not nearly as often as the more famous Ninth Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Dvorák)
The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 , popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is by far his most popular symphony, and one of the most popular in the modern repertoire...
("From the New World"). In this regard the Eighth enjoys a similar status to the Seventh Symphony
Symphony No. 7 (Dvorák)
Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, B. 141, by Antonín Dvořák was first performed in London on April 22, 1885 shortly after the piece was completed on March 17, 1885.-Compositional structure:Allegro maestosoPoco adagio...
, despite the two works' marked differences. While the Seventh is a stormy romantic work, the Eighth is cheery and draws its inspiration more from the Bohemian folk music that Dvořák loved.
A typical performance of the Eighth lasts about 36 minutes, making it one of Dvořák's shorter symphonies.
Instrumentation
The symphony is scored for 2 fluteFlute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s (2nd doubling piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
)*, 2 oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s (1st doubling english horn)*, 2 clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, 2 bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s, 4 horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, 2 trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, 3 trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, and strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
.
- The orchestration of piccolo and English Horn is extremely unusual in this symphony. The piccolo only sustains a long note in unison with the flute at the exposition of the 1st movement and the English Horn only plays a short, but exposed phrase during the second recapitulation of the main "bird call" theme, also in the 1st movement.
Movements
The work is in four movements:- Allegro con brio (G major) – The first movement is a powerful and glowing exposition characterized by liberal use of timpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
. It opens with a lyrical G minor theme in the cellos, horns, clarinets and bassoon with violas and double basses pizzicatoPizzicatoPizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
. This gives way to a "bird call" flute melody. The general cheery nature of this movement is contrasted sharply by the more ominous minor-key sections. - Adagio (C minor) – Despite being marked Adagio the second movement, in reality, moves along at quite a reasonable speed. It begins with a typically beautiful clarinet duet and ends quietly, but contentedly.
- Allegretto grazioso – Molto vivace (G minor) – Most of the third movement is a melancholy waltz in 3/8 time. Near the end, the meter changes to 2/4, and the music ends in a manner not unlike that of the second movement.
- Allegro ma non troppo (G major) – The finale (formally a set of variations) is the most turbulent movement. It begins with a fanfare of trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, then progresses to a beautiful melody which is first played by the celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s. The tension is masterfully built and finally released at approximately two minutes into the piece, with a cascade of instruments triumphantly playing the initial theme at a somewhat faster pace. From there, following an enormous flute solo, the movement compellingly progresses through a tempestuous middle section, modulating from major to minor several times throughout. After a return to the slow, lyrical section, the piece ends on a chromaticChromatic scaleThe chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone apart. On a modern piano or other equal-tempered instrument, all the half steps are the same size...
codaCoda (music)Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
, in which brass and timpani are greatly prominent.
External links
- Program notes on Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 by Richard Freed for the National Symphony Orchestra
- Free recording of Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 by the Columbia University Orchestra
- Free download by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Carlo Maria Giulini from radio4.nl
- Full score from the Indiana University School of Music