Taking a Walk with Dvořák's Symphony No 9
I. Adagio, Allegro molto
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ("From the New World")
I'm Dvořák, and I'm about to explain the I. Adagio, Allegro molto movement of my Symphony No 9. You'll learn to spot the closing theme of this movement, which resembles an African-American spiritual, and that's worth your time because it shows how the New World found its way into my music. Whenever you want to learn to recognize our pieces by sound, my fellow composers are ready to teach you on this site, so put your skills to work .
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Where to Point Your Ears
If you've never listened to a symphony, don't worry, because I'll give you just three things to follow in this first movement. First, listen for the timpani in the slow opening, where they tap out a short three-note motif, and then wait for the horns, which carry the main theme later on. Second, notice how I hand melodies back and forth between the strings and the woodwinds, and keep an ear out for a solo flute with a gentle theme of its own. Third, don't try to understand everything at once, and let the slow beginning and the fast music feel like two different rooms in the same house.Why the Name Is a Double Act
The title is simply two tempo markings joined together, Adagio and Allegro molto, because the movement really does move at two speeds. Adagio means slow and spacious, and I wanted the music to start there, with time to look around before anything happens. Allegro molto means very quick, and that is where the movement gets down to business. I could have given it only the fast marking, but then the opening would have been left out of the name, and I think the slow beginning is what makes the speed feel exciting.A Sonata in a Slow Hat
Choosing the form for this movement was an adventure in itself, and in the end I settled on sonata form with a slow introduction in front. A sonata form works a bit like a story: you meet the themes, you watch them get tested, and then you see them come home again. I'll go through four sections: the slow introduction, the exposition, the development and the recapitulation. Each one has its own tempo and its own mood, so let's take them one at a time.Section 1: Nothing Happens Yet, and That's the Point
The introduction is marked Adagio, it's in E minor, and it moves in a gentle 4/8 that never seems to hurry. The music is quiet and a little mysterious, and it keeps you waiting just long enough to wonder what's coming. That waiting is deliberate, because the longer I hold back, the more the listener leans in. Then the pulse changes and the music tips over into the fast part, and that is your signal that the real story has begun.Section 2: Three Tunes Walk Into a Symphony
The exposition is where I introduce the main characters, now in Allegro molto and in a quick 2/4, still in E minor. The main theme comes in the horns, with a bold, rhythmic shape that is easy to remember after one hearing. A solo flute then brings a lighter, more singing theme, and one program note hears in it a hint of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, although I always said my themes were my own. The closing theme of this section resembles an African-American spiritual, and it gives the exposition a warm, settled feeling before the music moves on.Section 3: The Themes Get Rearranged
In the development I take the themes from the exposition and treat them as building blocks. Bits of the tunes are cut apart, passed between instruments and set against each other, so the mood keeps shifting between tension and release. This is the part where you may lose track of which tune is which, and that's perfectly fine, because the excitement comes from the movement itself. Listen for the horn theme in particular, because it keeps turning up in new disguises and pushes the music forward.Section 4: Everybody Comes Home
In the recapitulation the themes from the beginning return, and this time they are in the home key of E minor. After the wandering of the development, hearing the familiar tunes again feels like walking back through your own front door. The mood is firmer and more confident here, since the themes now know where they belong. I wasn't finished with that first-movement theme, either, because I bring it back in the finale, which is how the whole symphony ends up feeling like one connected story.Your Turn at the Play Button
Now it's your turn, so find a comfortable seat and press play. Let the music carry you along, and keep in mind the things we talked about, like the slow opening, the horn theme and the flute. You don't have to catch everything on the first listen, and each time you hear it you'll notice something new. I hope you enjoy the journey through this movement as much as I enjoyed writing it.---
We've come to the end of this first movement, and I hope the slow opening and the fast music now feel like two rooms you know your way around. Did you enjoy this listen guide to the Adagio, Allegro molto of Symphony No 9? I hope it left you wanting to hear the movement again, because a piece like this tends to show you something new each time you come back to it. There is still a lot more to discover in Symphony No 9, from the Largo with its famous English horn melody to the finale, where themes from the earlier movements return. A recording of the symphony even traveled to the Moon in 1969, when Neil Armstrong took it along on Apollo 11, and that still moves me. If you're curious to hear more, click on the links below and keep exploring Symphony No 9. I'd be glad to have you with me for the rest of the journey.