Symphony No. 7 in d minor, Op. 70

• Dvořák composed his seventh symphony between 1884-1885. The first performance took place in April 1885 at St. James’ Hall, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by the composer.
  • Dvořák dedicated the piece to the London Philharmonic Society.¹ The ensemble had invited the composer to conduct concerts beginning in 1884, and following the success of his sixth symphony, they requested a new symphony to be performed the following year.²
• When writing the symphony, Dvořák wrote the following to a friend:

“A new symphony (for London) occupies me, and wherever I go I think of nothing but my work, which must be capable of stirring the world, and God grant me that it will!”

• Symphony No. 7 has a notably darker color and deeper emotional depth than his previous symphonic works. This may have resulted from Dvořák’s growing fame and consequent pressure to expand beyond his Bohemian roots and represent a musical voice of international appeal. (Audiences in Vienna, for instance, were notorious for dismissing Slavic tunes).
  • The composer was also significantly inspired by the recent premiere of Brahms’s third symphony. Brahms advocated for Dvořák in his early career and helped secure a substantial publishing deal with Simrock, thereby providing an ongoing source of inspiration.
• Confusingly, the symphony was initially known as “Symphony No. 2” because it was the second to be published.³

1. “Symphony No. 7, Op. 70 (Dvořák, Antonín),” IMSLP, accessed February 14, 2023, https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_No.7%2C_Op.70_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn).
2. Michael Steinberg, “Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Opus 70,” Boston Symphony Orchestra, accessed February 14, 2023, https://www.bso.org/works/symphony-no-7.
3. Ibid.