Dvorak and the Revival of the Symphony

Option B:
Antonin Dvorak is arguably one of the greatest composers whose musical influence transcends several generations and musical genres. Mainly, Dvorak is part of the European composers that engineered the Symphonic revival of the 1880s. New symphonies were rare in the 1850s and 1860s and were almost being phased out. It was no longer considered a site of real creative energy and was perceived inferior to newer forms like the symphonic poems (Dvorak and the Revival of the Symphony, slide 7). However, composers such as Johannes Brahms, Antonin Bruckner, and Antonin Dvorak would soon revolutionize and reinvigorate European symphonic dominance. Even though Dvorak was Czech, he made tremendous contributions to America’s music industry. Notably, Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony is undeniably one of the first examples of ‘truly’ American symphonic music. Despite criticism that symphonies existed in American before Dvorak’s arrival, his Ninth symphony was unique in several ways. According to Shadle (2017), Dvorak’s composure to the Ninth symphony was inspired by his studying of African American traditions. Accordingly, the New World Symphony was truly American because it was primarily shaped by AfricanAmericanspirituality and traditions. Dvorak would later inspire other composers from varied racial backgrounds, such as Amy Beach and Florence Price, who began writing pieces that invoked Black orindigenous styles (Shadle, 2017). The Ninth symphony creatively integrated several American themes and Dvorak once famously quipped, “the influence of American be felt by anyone who has a ‘nose.’” (Dvorak and the Revival of the Symphony, slide 16). The symphony also drew from other cultures within Americansociety, such as NativeAmericansand the English. His integration of different Americanculturalcomponentsresulted in the higher formof art, the Ninth Symphony.
References
Dvorak and the Revival of the Symphony. (2022). 1–17.
Shadle, D. (2021, March 17). Let’s Make the Future That the “New World” Symphony Predicted. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/17/arts/music/dvorak-new-world-symphony.html