Suite in A major "American", Op. 98b, B 190
Composer: Antonín Dvořák
Date of publication: 1911, seven years after Dvořák's death in 1904
Dvořák first composed the Suite in A major in early 1894, shortly after the triumphant premiere of his New World Symphony. Originally, the Suite was written for solo piano, but in 1895, Dvořák arranged it for orchestra. Only the piano version was performed before Dvořák's death in 1904, receiving lukewarm reception. When the orchestral version was at last performed in concert in 1910 (and published in 1911), it was much more popular, and to this day is heralded as an encapsulation of the American spirit. The piece itself consists of five movements, each with their own themes.
While the first two movements have clear American inspirations, the later movements have more of a Slavic folk music feel (Dvořák was a known admirer of the music of Czech immigrants). Like some of Dvořák's other works, the ending movement comes full circle by referencing the main theme of the beginning movement. Here this is achieved by emphasizing the flute and oboe in order to seamlessly swap from A minor to the A major of the first movement.
Movements:
I. Andante con moto (A major)
II. Allegro (C-sharp minor)
III. Moderato alla polacca (A major)
IV. Andante (A minor)
V. Allegro (A minor - A major)
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