Page:Antonín Dvořák by J. E. Vojan (1941).pdf/12

 15, 1886. The same work was repeated in London on October 29 and November 6.

Dvořák came for the sixth time to London in 1890. He conducted his new Symphony in G Major at the concert of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, April 24. This work is known as the “London” Symphony, because it was published by the London firm Novello (Victor Album M-304). Dvořák conducted it personally at the Chicago World’s Fair, when he was invited by the Chicago Czechs to the “Bohemian Day,” August 12, 1893.

What a change! The composer who in the seventies found it quite difficult to pay 2 florins a month for the rent of a poor piano now won colossal triumphs everywhere. The greatest conductors such as Hans Richter and Hans Buelow in Germany, Anton Seidel in New York, Arthur Nikisch in Boston and Theodore Thomas in Chicago, performed his symphonic compositions, the famous Joachim String Quartet played his chamber music.

Dvořák was the first modern Czech symphonist. His nine symphonies (since 1863) exemplify his entire artistic evolution. The influence of Wagner, Liszt, Schubert, Beethoven and Smetana soon vanishes, Dvořák finds himself, and his own individuality is best expressed in the symphonies G Major (1889), D Minor (1885) and E Minor “From the New World” (1893). An equally imposing musical wealth is contained in Dvořák’s String Quartets (twelve Quartets, 1862-1895) which belong to the present world repertoire. The touching adagios and lentos of his symphonies and chamber music works with their tones of deep sentiment are wonderful. His prolific inspiration induced Dvořák to compose all kinds of musical works, and so he created many new forms in Czech music which Smetana avoided. This applies in the first place to so called absolute music, in so far as this word means music other than program music. Smetana, brought up in Liszt’s neoromatic ideas on music, saw his proper sphere of creative activities in opera and in symphonic poems, whereas he avoided to write so called absolute music. Even his string quartet “From my life” follows a definite program. But Dvořák, as an intuitive, direct musician who easily let himself be carried away by his ideas, saw his proper sphere of activities everywhere,