Description
In the summer of 1893, after a hiatus of twelve years, Dvořák resumed his focus on the string quartet. Having served as the musical director in New York since the autumn of 1892, he spent that summer in Spillville, Iowa, a community established by Czech immigrants, which provided him with a sense of familiarity. The area's stunning natural beauty inspired him to compose this distinctive string quartet, reminiscent of Beethoven’s “Pastoral,” even incorporating imitations of bird calls. Since its initial performances, certain rhythmic and melodic elements have been linked to the folk traditions of Native Americans and African Americans, contributing to the work's popularity and its designation as the “American Quartet.” For the first time since 1955, this quartet is being published in an Urtext edition.
