Dvorak, A :: Allegro

Musicians Publications presents Antonin Dvorak s Allegro from his Serenade, op. 44 arranged for woodwind quintet by Bill Holcombe Jr. Scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon, this arrangement is advanced in difficulty.

The musical style of Dvorak s music has always been considered as nationalistic . He frequently incorporated Czech folk tunes in his music to express his feelings towards the political climate of the time. It was his way of reminding his people of their sufferings and their longing for liberation. Major compositions of Dvorak include the Violin Concerto in A Minor, Nine Symphonies, Stabat Mater, Dumky Trio, American String Quartet, Slavonic Dances (Op. 46 and Op. 72), Te Deum and his famous opera Rusalka.

Serenade for Winds was completed in January of 1870 and was premiered by the Prague Orchestra of the Provisional Theatre in November of the same year at a concert featuring an all Dvorak s program, conducted by Dvorak himself. The [original] work consists of four movements and is scored for two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, three French horns. Dvorak added the cello and double bass later to reinforce the bass line. But since the double bassoon was not easily accessible back in those days, Dvorak opted its part as ad lib , i.e. use it whenever it is available.

The finale is extremely lively and is technically challenging for the entire ensemble. Although the musical materials are new here, Dvorak brought back the opening theme of the first movement towards the end to help bring the entire work to a satisfying conclusion. - Eric Fahn