PT Journal
AU Benesova, A
TI Antonin Dvorak's Biblical Songs: A Journey from America to Europe and Back
SO Musicologica Olomucensia
PY 2020
BP 140
EP 151
VL 32
IS 2
DI 10.5507/mo.2020.017
DE Antonin Dvorak; Biblical songs; Norwich Festival; Clara Butt; Katherine Fisk; New instrumentation; Bernard Wagenaar; New York Philharmonic orchestra
AB The aim of this study is not only to present Bible songs but also to reveal several new facts that have not been published yet. The research was focused primarily on the foreign performance of songs and related reviews regarding the reception of the work, e.g. new facts about the performance of songs at the Norwich festival which occurred during the composer's lifetime. It also cites a review that includes a quotation of Dvorak's letter (a copy of which was part of a program) that gives us a sense of the composer's attitude to the orchestral arrangement of his songs. The study also points out an existence of yet-to-be-discovered orchestral arrangement of four Biblical songs for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra instrumented by B. Wagenaar for a singing recital by J. Schwarz in December 1922. I believe that thanks to the new facts presented in this study, it will become a valuable contribution to this Dvorak's work.
ER