Soundtracks:
Clear and Present Danger
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Symphony No. 9 Op. 95, "From the New World"
When Dvorák arrived in the United States in 1892, in order to
be head of the national conservatoire, he fell in love with his new home
- America. The gigantic, optimistic melting pot the Americans had created,
their energies and love for life - all take part in his Symphony no. 9,
which is all a big ode to America. He looked for American motifs among
the black and native Americans, rather than among descendants of white
Europeans. And so he incorporated in his symphony tunes inspired by the
spirituals - black people's devotional songs. Note that all melodies are
in the spirit of American tunes, but Dvorák is the one who actually
wrote them. Hence they sound no less Slavonic than American, and to a great
extent this is the real America - a combination of national influences
brought on by colonists and immigrants, adding to those of native Americans.
Dvorák's 9th Symphony became one of the most successful works
in the world, and it is often performed in concert halls. The second movement
is especially identified by all - the famous largo by Dvorák that
became very popular among classical music lovers. Many jazz musicians also
play it, as a magnificent, quiet jazz performance. This chapter's being
written in a pentatonic scale, customary in Afro-American folk music gives
it an American flavor, and on the other hand, its gloomy melody does not
depend on either time or place - it belongs to everybody, and everybody
loves it.
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