Inspiration and Influence in Dvorak 's 9th Symphony Essay

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Music ImpressionI would say that the standout for me this year was hearing Dvorak’s “The New World” Symphony, also known as his Symphony No. 9 in E Minor. I can honestly say that there is not one moment in this symphony where I was bored: the entire thing is interesting, exciting, moving, and dramatic. I could close my eyes and picture myself in a sweeping epic of beauty and nature. This symphony literally sounds the way you would expect a “new world” to sound—pristine, pure, grand, inviting, dangerous, yet sublime and inviting. For this piece, the presentation is a YouTube video performance of the Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Nejc Be?an in 2018 (Zevnikov, 2020).First of all, let me give some background on this piece. Dvorak’s New World Symphony is indeed a work that is elegant, moving, and masterful, and one that has stood the test of time. The New World Symphony was composed in 1892 and was inspired by Dvorak’s visit to America. The symphony is in four parts, and each part echoes with the kind of “wide open spaces” that Dvorak saw with his own eyes (Sullivan, 1999, p. ix). He was commissioned to write it by the New York Philharmonic. The musical influences, according to Dvorak came from his impressions of Native American music (Neas, 2017).The video on YouTube shows a typical symphony orchestra with a conductor and a large crowd is in the audience in a hall. There is nothing out of the ordinary about it or particularly special about this performance, but I feel that just about any performance of this piece is going to be great. So what makes it so special for me?Hearing Dvorak's New World for the first time this year was special for me because I was finally able to appreciate all of the different parts that make up the symphony. I had heard bits and pieces of it before, but never the entire piece. Hearing it all together was like finally putting together a puzzle. I could hear the different instruments playing their own part, but also how they came together to create something beautiful. It was also special because it made me think about my own heritage. Dvorak was inspired by African-American and Native American music, and hearing his symphony made me feel connected to those cultures.

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But really I didn’t hear much of those influences. I heard a kind of folksy theme throughout it, which is what really made me feel like this was a symphony about America. Overall, hearing Dvorak's New World for the first time this year was a very special experience for me.What attracted me personally was the music. The performance…

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…mating of currents. It is exciting to think about.Before the first movement is out, the melody returns to its calm beginnings—followed quickly by the stormy theme, and the two mix and play along in some give-and-take back-and-forth for a while. This point and counterpoint style is found throughout the whole thing and it makes the music very enjoyable. But watching the video can be fun because you can see all the instruments jumping in to do their part, from trombones to trumpets to strings to timpani and clarinet. I like being able to match the sounds to the instruments.The second movement is my favorite and features the solo Cor Anglais instrument announcing the theme—and it is rich and deep with melancholy. Then the other instruments—particularly the strings—put their own spin on the theme, alternately uplifting it and taking it even lower. It is a stirring, moving, but quiet movement that really speaks to the heart and spirit. And then that Cor Anglais comes back to lift up the symphony and take the listener down a new path. It is haunting and mysterious and yet somehow you hear it and it is like you’ve heard it your whole life—as though this music always existed; it wasn’t created by Dvorak but was rather always somehow there in the air, in the water, in the land, in your own mind—and….....

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