Solitude

Description

A young Antonin Dvorak, earning extra money by teaching piano lessons while working as an orchestral violist, became smitten with a sixteen-year-old pupil. Over a period of seventeen days, he composed eighteen lovesongs for her. She never returned his attentions, the songs were never published, and like Haydn and Mozart before him, he eventually married his student’s younger sister.

As time went on, material from the songs appeared in his first two symphonies, his operas and in other vocal works. In 1887 he revised twelve of the songs for string quartet. These were not published during his lifetime, and when they finally appeared in print were given the name “Cypresses” for reasons which remain unclear.

The arrangement presented here utilizes a slightly larger orchestration of the eighth song in the set, using divisi string parts occasionally and with the addition of double bass and harp. This work makes a nice piece inside a concert program and perhaps a refreshing change from the usual festival or contest selections.

The work demands a flexible, expressive legato style with particular attention to dynamics along with fluid competence with the challenging key and accidentals. Some fingering indications may provide guidelines to achieve the desired tonal effect. The original quartet version has a repeat from the end of measure 34 to the beginning of the piece which has been omitted as a value judgment by the arranger.

Please enjoy this little-known work by one the giants among 19th century composers.

Published by: String Instrument Specialists