I just came from a concert by the Carmel String Quarted at the Brigham Young U. Jerusalem Center, and the violist, Yoel Greenberg, noted that Dvorjak was a railfan, spending lots of time jotting down train numbers and times at stations, and that the last movement, of the four movement Opus 96 Stiring Quartet, “The American Quartet” depicts a train ride, which indeed it does sound to me. Performed suburbly. Yoel said he would have composed lots more music in the USA if he hadn’t spent so much time chasing trains.
Who says railfans are uncultured!
For those who want to listen to the piece “The American Quartet” (Opus 96) can be found under Chamber Music: String Quartets at the following site. http://www.kunstderfuge.com/dvorak.htm It does provide the feel of a train ride.
With Quick Time Player you can have background music for your next visit to the forum.
http://www.svu2000.org/conferences/06.doc
“Interested by locomotives from child hood Dvorak was fascinated by the train’s speed and the ever-changing American countryside. At 11:00 A.M. on 5 June they arrived at Calmar, Iowa, about five miles east of Spillville.”
Spillville, IA was not a hub of railroad activity. It was where Dvorak did much of his composing.
Does the proximity of a railroad distract any others one may know from their “work.?”
On the other hand, he could have chased a lot more trains if he hadn’t spent so much time composing music!
I do love his “New World Symphony” though.
I believe the name you are trying to spell is, Antonin Dvorak. May help for anyone looking for recordings.
Yes, I’d have to say that it does–never mind who I work for!
On the subject of Dvorak, he was a railfan for most of his life, but while he was in the U.S. and working/living in New York City, his primary passion was ships in the harbor.
(Also, it’s hard to believe that anyone who could write such great music was also capable of drinking anyone else under the table!)
As for the quartet, I’d have to agree with the assessment of the last movement. The third movement is an attempt to (among other things) mimic a Scarlet Tanager–a bird that Dvorak didn’t find in his native Bohemia. The second movement is arguably one of the strongest tear-jerkers in music–you can tell from this (as well as much of the symphony “From the New World”, one opus number away and composed at about the same time) that the poor guy was really homesick (best performances I ever heard of either work were with my daughter on viola)!
Hot Dog. Good for you and your daughter!
And the first movement of the quartet is largely based on a Scottish “catch”, which also made it to Appalaichian folk fiddler music. The other theme is Hungarian-Bohemian in origin.
And you know theme from the hymn “Going Home” is the main melody of the first movement of the New World Symphony, reprised in the last movement.
He was homesick.
People in Jerusalem often ask if I am homesick for the USA. I oftebn answer that I was homesick for the USA when I lived in the USA. Homesick for the days when I could enjoy an “observation car ride” across 42nd Street and up Broadway in the rear operator’s seat of a “B” streetcar, for the real California Zephyr and Merchants Limited and the round-end observation of the Silver Meteor, and Jim Masters as Maitre d’ in an ACL dining car, and Charlie Houser running a Liberty Bell Limited from 69th Street Philadelphia to Allentown, and…
I do see some tracks in the street (or rather in what used to be a busway) in Jerusalem, so maybe I’ll have some fun in the future after all.
Slight correction, Dave–it’s the second movement that has the famous melody (stuff from all of the first three movements are reprised in the fourth). And Dvorak originated the melody–the “Goin’ Home” lyrics came quite a bit later; they may have even originated with Paul Robeson.
Eric, daughter is currently going for post-graduate degrees in viola performance, but will more likely be a theory teacher.
“From The New World” is one of my most favorite opus. Several others are “Pyr Gynt” (Norse spelling!), “Grand Canyon Suite”, “Bolero”, and most all of Rachmoninoff, Tchikovski (sp), and Aaron Copeland.
And you can’t do a creditable job of performing if you don’t know the theory well. If you don’t know theory, you can’t put “life” into the music. All you will be doing is playing notes.
Listening to a Van Cliburn recording of one of Sergi’s piano concertos. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh. Don’t have to know how to spell to enjoy this!
Thanks a lot for that link. I had no idea that something like that existed.
Regards
Ed
And you can’t do a creditable job of performing if you don’t know the theory well. If you don’t know theory, you can’t put “life” into the music. All you will be doing is playing notes.
I don’t disagree that music theory is important to the overall quality of a performer, but it isn’t the defining difference between a musician and an artist.
The performance of music is set apart not by the knowledge of theory within the brain of the composer, performer or listener, but the ability of the performer to be so technically accurate that they can rise above the technical aspects of the music and enter into the essence of the art of music. Theory, in itself, is not a requirement for artiistic performance. When I play a Bach Fugue, by training I must be aware of the counter-punctual melodies as they insert and reinsert themselves into the composition as I am responsible, as the performer, to emphasize them via technique or tone change. When I first started to play Bach, I had no idea of fugue form and could not have cared less. But I understand that a repetitive melody needed expression and could perform the pieces well, musically even, without the theory knowledge.
To study music theory, of which ear training is a small part, helps the listener to appreciate the rules of theory as well as the often wonderous results when the composer breaks the rules. Theory can assist the student to learn what is expected from fugue form, but only talent with lots of practice can take the performance from just playing notes into art.
I looked up a couple quotes on the subject. The first is from Charlie “Yardbird” Parker.
“Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But man, there is no boundary line to art.”
And my favorite whi
Very insightful post, Tina. That’s one that I’ll have to copy off and print for our church choir director, whom you may have heard of- Allen Koepke, who has written many chorale pieces for high schools and colleges all over the place. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to do it now, as I have to be to the church by 8 AM to practice this morning’s anthem!
“And you can’t do a creditable job of performing if you don’t know the theory well. If you don’t know theory, you can’t put “life” into the music. All you will be doing is playing notes.”
Sorry, I have to disagree! I myself am a passionate singer (apparently pretty good, as I’ve been told by others), and studying music theory almost spoiled everything for me.
Did you know that Luciano Pavarotti could not read musical notation?
Leave it to forum members to disagree on almost any subject. [:D]
Musical theory might be considered the science of the art and it seems to me that trying to understanding why our senses appreciate art is a worthy effort. I think it would also greatly benefit those who are teaching others to be musicians.
For musicians themselves, some may improve from the study of theory, others, such as my stepdaughter, must come by it instinctively. Melissa considered music theory study little more than a course requirement for obtaining a degree, but was greatly admired by her peers for her musical artistry. Obviously some may get it naturally.
OMG…this reminds me of knock down drag out discussions on theory vs non theory on a guitar web site. I will try to get a railfan discussion going on the guitar site.
I am a very below average musician. Started late and had no natural ability. But, I sure do enjoy it. I took a year of theory, not the classroom type, but one on one with a music teacher. I learned quite a bit. Didnt help my playing, but at least i can figure out a chord progression and understand (somewhat) the melody and harmony.
One of my favorite things of attending church is sitting behind the organist and watching him perform during the hymns and attempting to follow along.
ed
Most musicians I know studied some music theory. In most conservatories, no matter what instrument is studied, some theory is compulsory, apparently. (And the conductors I know always had to start by learning to play and instrument.) But there are wide variations in style of music making, contrast Virgil Fox and Jimmy (“E. Power”) Biggs - or Geoge Szell and Furtwangler. As far as music listening, which is more my own “shtick” (although I did study piano and sing a lot, both solo and with the yeshiva student congregation):
One can enjoy watching and photographing trains without knowing the particular railroad’s symbol or its destinations or able to tell one late model diesel from another. But the information does add to the enjoyment, doesn’t it?
Somewhere I read that Dvorak, while watching trains, would attempt to apologize to passengers on behalf of the railroad if the train came in late.
Dave Nelson
Regularly… I drive all over the Milwaukee area, and pass by the yards on my way to and from anything…!
That’s a great quote, though I remember him more for designing those multi-axle rail cars used for hauling exceptionally heavy loads.