"American" Quartet | Mvt. 4 excerpt | Antonín Dvořák | Covert Sax Quartet

Welcome dear readers to the fourth and final installment of our Dvořák “American” Quartet series. As many of you know by now, Dvořák composed the “American” quartet while on holiday in the predominantly Bohemian farming community of Spillville, Iowa. Spillville was originally supposed to be called Spielville, after its founder Joseph Spielman, but somehow the name was Americanized and Spillville stuck. It is the site of the oldest Czech Catholic church in the United States; Spillville’s population reached 415 in 1980, the only time it exceeded 400 people in the 20th century. only once in the censuses of the 20th century, hitting 415 in 1980.
The Finale is marked vivace, ma non troppo, and is one of the most spirited of his American-era works. Dvořák was quite prodigious during this time, composing the last and most imposing of his quartets, Op. 96, 105, 106, the String Quintet, Op. 97, the E-minor Symphony (“From the New World”), the Te Deum, and the Cello Concerto during his stay in America.
A spirit of relaxation and perhaps joyful homecoming inspired him to compose the “American” quartet within just a few weeks. The most pervasive aspect of the quartet is Dvořák's general preoccupation with folk idioms, such as the use of the pentatonic or five-note scale: nearly every primary and secondary theme throughout the quartet uses a form of it. The evocation of dance, the outdoors, and the piercing simplicity of nature's own music define a pure moment of folk music as high art.
The F-major Quartet was summarized by Dvořák scholar Jaroslav Holeček: “the happy, restful moments and the magic of the beautiful countryside that the composer would walk every day of his stay there, usually beginning shortly after sunrise.” The entire quartet is so approachable, so unassuming and yet still exquisite. It has been a joy to perform this music together, and we look forward to doing so again in the future.
This performance was recorded in the Czech Republic on May 24, 2024, and features Dave Camwell and Kateřina Pavlíková, as well as our friends Magdalena Probstová and Anna Kurzová.