Bedřich Smetana (1836-1910) A list of Smetana's compositions
Although there were excellent Czech (Bohemian) composers before Smetana, they
wrote in German musical styles and often lived in Germany. Smetana was the first to
incorporate Czech folk music into his works. In his homeland he is mostly known for
his operas, the best being The Bartered Bride (1863-66). Intenationally, he is best known
countryside, history, or legends.
Ma Vlast (My Fatherland) (symphonic poem cycle, 1874-79) Play, 1 hour, 23 min
WDR Symphony Orchestra Semyon Bychkov, conductor
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) A list of Dvořák's compositions
Docmentary: Dvořák in Words and Music (60 minutes)
Like Smetana before him, Dvořák incorporated the folk music of the Czechs and Slavs
into his compositions. Internationally, he is know primarily for his orchestra and chamber
works, and also his Requiem mass. In his homeland, he is also known for his operas, which
are mostly in the Czech language.
In 1892, Dvořák moved to the United States and became the director of the National
Conservatory of Music of America in New York City. The President of the Conservatory
offered Dvořák an annual salary of $15,000 – an incredibly lavish sum for the era (equi-
valent to $488,556 in 2022), twenty-five times what he was paid at the Prague Conservatory.
While in the United States, Dvořák wrote his two most successful orchestral works:
Symphony from the New World, which spread his reputation worldwide, and his Cello
Concerto , one of the most highly regarded cello concerti. He returned home in 1895 and
continued composing, including his most popular opera Rusalka in 1900.
Orchestra Music
Symphony No. 7 (1884-85) Play, 41 min Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Symphony No. 8 (1890) Play, 42 min Frankfurt Radio Symhony
Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" (1893) Play, 50 min Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Slavonic Dances (1886, 2nd of 2) Play, 38 min Prague Symphony Orch
The Water Goblin (Vodnik) (1st of 5 symphonic poems, 1896) Play, 21 min
Cello Concerto (No. 2) (1894) Play, 40 min Jan Vogler, cello, Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Violin Concerto (No. 2) (1893) Play, 39 Joshua Bell, violin
Chamber Music
Piano Trio No. 3 (1883) Play, 43 min
Piano Trio No. 4 "Dumky" (1891) Play, 30 min
String Quartet No. 12 "American" Play, 27 min New York Philharmonic String Quartet
Piano Quintet No. 2 (1888) Play, 39 min
Solo Piano Music
Humoresques (1893) No. 7 Play, 3 min All 9 (audio) Play, 26 min
Vocal Music
Requiem (mass, 1890) Play, 90 mins