Page:Bohemia; a brief evaluation of Bohemia's contribution to civilization (1917).pdf/35

 York (the Sonatina in G major, op. 100, whose second movement is known under the name given by Fritz Kreisler, “Indian Lament”—“Humoresques”, opus 101, from which the seventh is highly popular all over the world, “The American Flag”, a cantata, written in January and February 1893, etc.)

In 1895 Dvořák returned to Prague, where he was shortly afterward appointed head of the Conservatory of Music, but not for a long time. He died May, 1, 1904. His bequest contains more than 120 works. Among them are seven symphonies, several symphonic poems, symphonic overtures, 30 chamber music works, concertos for violin, violincello, piano-forte works (many of them were later arranged for the orchestra by the author himself, like “Slavonic dances”, “Legends”, “From the Bohemian Forest”, songs, choruses, cantatas, oratorios, several operas the best of which are “Rusalka” (The Water Nymph) “Jakobín” (The Jacobin), “Dimitrij” (the story taken from Russian history), “Čert a Káča” (The Devil and Kate, a Bohemian fairy tale), “Šelma sedlák” (The Sly Peasant), “Tvrdé palice” (The Pig-headed Peasants), “Armida”,, etc. Characteristic rhythms and harmonic effects of the folk music as well as bright and glittering instrumentation are significant of the works of Dvořák who was one of the most original composers of the world in the realm of absolute music.

The third grand master of the Bohemian music of the nineteenth century, Zdeněk Fibich (ch pronounced like Spanish j), was born in 1850 at Sebořice of an old forester family. He grew up in the woods, absorbing their meditative poesy. He is little known in America, although his symphonies, symphonic poems, melodramas and operas rank with the best musical works written in Europe during the last three decades of the nineteenth century. He died in Prague, October 15, 1900. From his operas the best are “Šárka”, “Blaník” (these two names were explained in connection with Smetana’s symphonic poems), “Pád Arkuna” (The Fall of Arcona), “Bouře” (The Tempest, after Shakespeare), “Nevěsta Messinská” (The Bride of Messina) and “Hedy” (Haidee, after Byron). He not only wrote melodramas for the concert podium—from these