When Dvořák suddenly became internationally famous in 1878 with his Slavonic Dances, he received, among other things, a request for a new string quartet from Jean Becker, the first violinist of the renowned Florentine Quartet. The composer promptly began working in December 1878 and was able to complete the new piece three months later. Dvořák complied in a special way with the wish for a composition in “Slavonic style”: each of the four movements is informed by melodies and rhythms in the style of Czech folk dances and songs. Since then, opus 51 has not only ranked among the most important works in Dvořák’s “Slavonic period”, but also among the most popular in his chamber music oeuvre in general. Besides the first editions of the score and parts, all surviving autograph sources were consulted for this Henle Urtext edition.
Content/Details
- String Quartet E flat major op. 51
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Preface
With the publication of the Moravian Duets op. 32 for female voices and the first series of Slavonic Dances op. 46, Antonín Dvořák (1841 – 1904) achieved his breakthrough as a composer in 1878. It was above all the folk character and freshness of these works in Slavic style that were praised by the critics. For example, Louis Ehlert wrote in a review: “A heavenly … more
Critical Commentary
About the composer
Antonín Dvorák
With Smetana he is the most famous Czech composer of the nineteenth century, contributing to the dissemination and appreciation of Czech music throughout the world. Among his around 200 works, encompassing all standard genres, are nine symphonies, fourteen string quartets, and twelve operas.
| 1841 | Born in Nelahozeves (Mühlhausen) on the Vltava River on September 8, the son of a butcher and innkeeper. |
| 1853 | Attends the training school in Zlonice; there he receives a comprehensive musical education from Josef Toman and the cantor Antonín Liehmann; subsequent education in Česká Kamenice (1856–57). |
| 1857–59 | Studies at the organ school in Prague. Until 1871 he will earn his living as a music teacher, organist, and violist. |
| 1861 | String Quintet No. 1 in A minor, considered his first work. |
| 1862 | Position as solo violist in the orchestra of the Bohemian Provisional Theater (conducted by Smetana, among others) |
| 1873 | Breakthrough with the premiere in Prague of his patriotic hymn “The Heirs of the White Mountain,” Op. 30. Employment at the private Prague School of Music. Several state scholarships. |
| 1874–77 | Organist at St. Adalbert church. |
| from 1876 | “Moravian Duets,” Opp. 20, 29, 32, and 38 (1876–77), “Slavonic Rhapsodies,” Op. 45 and the first series of “Slavonic Dances,” Op. 46 (both from 1878) enjoy great success. His fame abroad grows. |
| 1882 | Premiere of the opera “Dimitrij”, in the tradition of grand opera. |
| 1884 | First invitation to England, after which eight more will follow. |
| 1886 | Premiere of his oratorio “Saint Ludmila,” Op. 71. |
| 1891 | Professor of composition at the Prague Conservatory. |
| 1891–95 | Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. |
| 1893 | Premiere in New York of Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” Op. 95 (American folkloric elements, cyclic techniques). |
| 1901 | Premiere in Prague of his most famous opera, “Rusalka.” |
| 1904 | Premiere in Prague of his last opera, “Armida.” Death in Prague on May 1. |
About the authors
Peter Jost (Editor)
Dr. Peter Jost, born in 1960 in Diefflen/Saar, read musicology, German and comparative studies at Saarland University in Saarbrücken. He did his PhD in 1988 with a thesis on Robert Schumann’s Waldszenen.
From November 1991 to April 2009 he was a research associate at the Richard Wagner Complete Edition in Munich, and since May 2009 has been an editor at G. Henle Publishers. His Urtext editions comprise predominantly French music of the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by Lalo, Saint-Saëns and Ravel.