Slavonic Dances, Op. 72

• Dvořák composed his second set of Slavonic Dances in 1886, at the beginning of what Grove calls his “second Slavonic period: from 1886-92, Dvořák returned to the folk idioms and colors of his earlier music (which had contributed to his first really successful publication, the first set of Slavonic Dances, op.46).¹
• Like Opus 46, this second series of Slavonic Dances was originally composed for piano four-hands.²
• Dvořák arranged op.72 for orchestra between November 1886 and January 5, 1887. Just in time, too, because the orchestral version of several dances from op.72 premiered the next day in Prague (Jan. 6, 1887). ³
• Also, like Op.46, each of the dances in this series uses a specific Slavic folk dance genre, many of which originated in Dvořák’s native Bohemia.⁴

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Slavonic Dance No. 1 in B Major

• Dvořák’s Op.72 no.1 is an Odzemek.⁵ This is one of several Moravian “leaping” dances performed as male solo dances.⁶
  • Moravia is a historical region of what is now the Czech Republic, just east of Dvořák’s homeland of Bohemia.

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Slavonic Dance No. 2 in e minor

• Dvořák’s score identifies the genre of this dance: dumka.⁷ [pronunciation]
• Dumka is a folk song and poetry genre of Ukrainian origin which was used in Poland and Bohemia in the 19^th Century. Musically, it features melismatic sections alternating suddenly with slow, mournful music or fast, lively material.⁸

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Slavonic Dance No. 3 in F Major

• Dvořák’s score indicates that this dance is a Skocná⁹ [pronunciation]: a fast Czech dance in 2/4 time. Skocná means “leaping.” When a skocná includes a vocal part, the text is usually humorous.¹⁰

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Slavonic Dance No. 4 in D-flat Major

• Dvořák’s score identifies the genre of this dance: dumka (same as No. 2).

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Slavonic Dance No. 5 in b-flat minor

• This dance is a Spacírka.¹¹ [pronunciation]
• Spacírka is a circle dance that begins slowly, followed by a fast section. In this selection, Dvořák based the form on the variety of spacírka he had seen danced in Vysoká, a village south of Prague.¹²

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Slavonic Dance No. 6 in B-flat Major

• According to Dvořák’s score, this dance is a polonaise.¹³
  • According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, the polonaise is descended from Polish folk dance forms, which were accompanied by singing. During or before the 17^th Century, these dance forms developed into a more formal court dance called the polonaise (French for “Polish”), which became popular throughout Europe.
  • A polonaise is a triple meter dance without upbeats, which was danced in a processional couple formation.¹⁴

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Slavonic Dance No. 7 in C Major

• Dvořák’s score indicates that this dance is a kolo.¹⁵
  • The kolo is a communal folk dance from the Balkan regions.¹⁶
  • It is usually danced by dancers with linked arms, forming a chain.¹⁷
  • It often danced in a circle, and it is thought that the name derived from the old Slavic word for “wheel.”¹⁸
  • The kolo still forms an important role in community gatherings in Balkan countries.¹⁹

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Slavonic Dance No. 8 in A-flat Major

• Dvořák’s score indicates that this dance is a sousedská²⁰ [pronunciation], a slow triple-time Bohemian dance.
  • The name derives from the phrase “sousedské zábavy” (neighborly entertainments), the name for countryside dance parties. The sousedská first appeared in the 1830s.²¹

1. Klaus Döge, “Dvořák, Antonín,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed September 4, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000051222.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. “Slavonic Dances, Op.72 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed September 5, 2019, https://imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.72_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn).
5. “Slavonic Dances, Op.72 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed September 5, 2019, https://imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.72_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn).
6. John Clapham et al., “Czech Republic,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed September 5, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040479.
7. “Slavonic Dances, Op.72 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed September 5, 2019, https://imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.72_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn)
8. Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4^th ed., s.v. “Dumka” (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003).
9. “Slavonic Dances, Op.72 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed September 5, 2019, https://imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.72_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn)
10. John Tyrrell, “Skočná,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed September 5, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000043852.
11. “Slavonic Dances, Op.72 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed March 18, 2022, https://imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.72_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn)
12. John Clapham, Antonín Dvorřák: Musician and Craftma (Kiribati: Faber, 1966), 143.
13. “Slavonic Dances, Op.72 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed September 5, 2019, https://imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.72_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn).
14. Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4^th ed., s.v. “Polonaise” (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003).
15. “Slavonic Dances, Op.72 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed September 5, 2019, https://imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.72_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn).
16. “Kolo,” Encyclopædia Brittanica (August 28, 2019), accessed September 5, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/art/kolo.
17. “Serbian folklore, centuries-old art,” Serbia.com, accessed September 5, 2019, https://www.serbia.com/about-serbia/culture/ethnic-heritage/national-dance/.
18. “Kolo,” Encyclopædia Brittanica.
19. “Kolo, traditional folk dance,” UNESCO, accessed September 5, 2019, https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/kolo-traditional-folk-dance-01270.
20. “Slavonic Dances, Op.72 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed September 5, 2019, https://imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.72_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn).
21. John Tyrrell, “Sousedská,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed September 5, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000043853.