Year 5
❤️ Cycle C ❤️
Genre: Western Classical Tradition
Style: The Romantic Era (1830 – 1900)
Composer:
Antonín Dvořák
Dvořák was a Czech composer. He was one of seven children. Antonin’s parents recognised his musical talent, and at the age of six he began his musical training. He studied music in Prague and graduated as an accomplished violin and viola player before he was 20 years old. He wrote music that often featuring folk songs from his homeland.
Dvořák had secured the opportunity of a lifetime to be the head of a music school in New York City but he was terribly homesick. On the voyage to New York, he saw slaves on the ship singing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ – he was deeply moved and this likely inspired ‘Largo’.
Dvořák, who was inspired by the folk music of his native Czech culture and troubled by the plight of enslaved people, wrote ‘Largo’ (featuring a Cor Anglaise solo) from Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’ during his time in America, the ‘new world’, in the 1893.
Watch the full performance of Antonín Dvořák’s piece by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Rafael Payare.
Find out all about the composer and how he was inspired to write his most famous piece, ‘Largo’.
Three of the original Hovis adverts from the 1970s: – ‘Northern’ (1973) – ‘Bike Ride’ (1974) – ‘Runaway’ (1979)
Syncopation
Lesson Resources:
Antonín Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 in E minor, ‘From the New World’ – Largo (2nd mvt) – BBC Teach