Antonín Dvořák picked up the Czech nationalism trend established by Bedrich Smetana and carried it to new levels of awesome.
- Dvořák was one of the most accomplished symphonic composers of the late 19th century; though his four early forays into the genre have their charms, it is his five mature symphonies (the only ones to be published in his lifetime) that really stand out as awesome.
- The pastoral Symphony No.5 in F major
was the work that really put Dvořák on the map as a symphonist. Particular highlights include the way the slow movement leads, with only the briefest of pauses, directly into the scherzo, and the finale's initial reluctance to go anywhere near the symphony's home key and eventual adrenaline rush toward the triumphant coda. - Symphony No.6 in D major sees Dvořák starting to fuse influences from German Romanticism (especially Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms) with Bohemian folk tunes; the third movement scherzo, based on the rhythm of the furiant (a traditional Bohemian dance), is a standout.
- Dvořák drew inspiration from the death of his mother and the Czech struggle for national identity within the Austro-Hungarian Empire for the emotionally charged Symphony No.7 in D minor, the first of the triptych of his most enduringly popular symphonies. The almost jazz-like scherzo and a finale that waits almost until the last possible moment to finally switch from D minor to D major - seen by some musicologists as representing the composer's optimism that his native Bohemia would one day become an independent nation - make this symphony a winner.
- Another work heavily influenced by Bohemian folk traditions, Symphony No.8 in G major defies expectation with an extended opening in G minor, until a bird call-like melody from the flute finally establishes the major mode. The hopping back and forth between the major and minor mode continues through the remaining three movements, and the result is spellbinding on multiple levels.
- Symphony No.9 in E minor (From the New World) is Dvořák's most popular by far, and one of the most popular symphonies ever. It was composed during an extended stay in the United States (particularly a holiday in Spillville, Iowa), and draws influence from the musical traditions of his host nation while still using entirely original melodies. All four movements are concentrated awesome, from the tense opening movement to the instantly familiar Largo influenced by spirituals to the incendiary scherzo to a truly spectacular finale that brings together themes from each of the previous movements. John Williams is a big fan of this work; the third movement Molto vivace was helpful in writing the score to Star Wars, while the concluding Allegro con fuoco was blatantly plagiarised into the Jaws theme, but is ten times more awesome. The latter also takes up the final half of episode 126 of One Piece (where Luffy finally defeats Sir Crocodile) and one of the "episodes" of Asura's Wrath (the fight against Augus), was remixed into one of Rhapsody of Fire's most epic songs, "Wizard's Last Rhymes", and is used as the entrance theme for the Austrian-born Wrestling Monster WALTER (and by extension his ensemble Imperium). It is also used for weekly HAACHAMASUNDAY announcement videos.
- The pastoral Symphony No.5 in F major
- The New World Symphony wasn't Dvořák's only musical tribute to his American hosts; the most popular of his fourteen string quartets, No.12 in F major (American), took just sixteen days to compose and likewise blends American folk traditions, especially in the pentatonic melodies that dominate all four movements, with influences from the composer's native Bohemia. The sense of joy and fun that pervades the entire quartet makes it easy to see why audiences have always loved it.
- Dvořák's most proudly Czech nationalist compositions are the two sets of Slavonic Dances, Op.46 and Op.72, all of which are based on rhythms from traditional Slavic dances but feature melodies entirely Dvořák's own. Highlights from Op.46 include No.1 in C major and No.8 in G minor, adrenaline-charged furiants that will leave any listener gasping for breath; No.2 in E minor, a solemn dumka, and No.3 in A-flat major, a boisterous polka. Meanwhile, Op.72 includes such delights as No.1 in B major, an almost deliriously happy odzemek; No.2 in E minor, a heartfelt starodávný ("ancient one"); No.3 in F major, an extroverted skočná; and No.7 in C major, a rambunctious kolo.
- Dvořák also composed many works inspired by Slavic folklore, such as the opera Rusalka, the story of the doomed love between a female water sprite and a human prince (the "Song to the Moon" from Act I is a particular highlight), and The Water-Goblin, an elaborately-constructed musical version of a folk poem telling the story of the similarly doomed attraction between the title demon (who is also the father of the title character in Rusalka) and a human girl who strays too near the lake in which he lives.
- The Cello Concerto in B minor. The whole thing, especially the first movement, is an awesome moment for concertos in general.
- Dvořák composed the Requiem in B-flat minor for a commission from the music festival in Birmingham, which asked for a work "of first importance"; his London-based publisher Alfred Littleton (Novello) suggested he might like to write a Requiem. As he was composing this, Dvořák intended to review and, in principle, recall everything that he had achieved, both as a composer and as an individual. At the zenith of his career, he would embark upon a true testimony of his relationship with God and attempt to answer the most fundamental issues of human existence, particularly the mortality of man. The result is a composition that, though without any bleak or tragic undertones, has a melancholy quality, as if contemplating death has evoked sorrow in Dvořák in that he will inevitably have to say farewell to those closest to him, to nature, and to his music. Upon its premiere, it ended up becoming acclaimed as one of the most powerful settings for a Requiem Mass.
