Taking a Walk with Dvořák's Symphony No 9
IV. Allegro con fuoco
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ("From the New World")
I'm Dvořák, and I'm about to explain the IV. Allegro con fuoco movement of my Symphony No 9. You'll wait through three movements for the cymbals, which play only here, and that's worth your time because their crash gives the finale its blaze. Whenever you feel ready to recognize our pieces when they play, head over to the Trainer , where my fellow composers and I also teach you how.
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Hold on to Your Hat, and Your Ears
I'll give you three things to follow in this last movement, and none of them needs any training. First, listen for the cymbals, because they crash in this movement and nowhere else in the symphony, so they're a real event when they arrive. Second, wait for the clarinet, which brings in a gentler second melody after the stormy opening, like someone calmly stepping into a busy room. Third, keep an ear out for tunes you've already met in the earlier movements, because I let them return, and spotting them is half the fun.A Title That Comes with Its Own Matches
Allegro simply means fast, and con fuoco means with fire, so the title is both an instruction and a warning. I wanted the players to know before the first note that this movement is meant to burn, not to stroll. After the calm of the Largo and the dancing of the scherzo, I felt the symphony needed a finale with real heat. So I gave the musicians the plainest instruction I could, and I trusted them to light the fire.Choosing a Blueprint
Picking a form for this movement was an adventure, but in the end I chose sonata form, which is a kind of three-act story. In the first act, called the exposition, I introduce the main melodies, and in the second, the development, I let them argue, change and get tangled up. In the third act, the recapitulation, the melodies come home again, and a short coda rounds everything off. I'll take you through each of these sections in turn, so you'll always know where you are in the story.Section 1: The Exposition, Where Everyone Gets Introduced
The movement starts in E minor with a surge of energy, and the music feels like a crowd rushing through a door. Along the way it builds to a theme of six notes that rises and falls, easy to remember and easy to hum. Then the clarinet brings the second melody, and the mood softens for a moment, as if the storm has paused to take a breath. That contrast between rushing and singing is the whole point of this first section, so enjoy it.Section 2: The Development, Where the Themes Get Mixed Up
Here I take the melodies you've just heard and pull them apart, pass them around and put them back together in new ways. The key keeps shifting, so you never quite feel settled, and the tension grows steadily. This is also where I bring back themes from the earlier movements, including the main theme of the first movement. That return is what makes the symphony cyclical, and it's a lovely moment of recognition if you've listened to the whole thing.Section 3: The Recapitulation, Everybody Back Home
Now the melodies from the first section return, and they feel familiar, but they've been through a lot since we last saw them. The opening energy comes back in E minor, and the clarinet's gentler melody returns as well. Because you've followed the themes through the development, they now carry more weight than they did the first time. The mood is still driven and urgent, but you can feel the music heading toward its destination.Section 4: The Coda, Where the Sun Comes Out
The coda is the final stretch, and it gathers up everything that has happened in the movement and in the symphony. Themes from the earlier movements are heard again, layered over one another, and the excitement keeps building. Then, at the very end, the music turns from E minor to E major, which is like the clouds parting after a long storm. I wanted the symphony to finish in that brighter key, so you leave the hall with something close to a smile.Your Turn to Press Play
Now it's your turn, so find a comfortable seat and press play on this movement. Let the music carry you along, and don't worry if you miss a few things the first time. If you can, remember the cymbals, the clarinet's melody, the six-note theme and the way the old tunes return. I hope you enjoy this finale as much as I enjoyed writing it.---
So we've reached the end of the finale, and with it the end of the symphony. I like to think of this last movement as a long look back, because it gathers up tunes you met earlier and lets them pass by one more time. By the final bars the music has moved from E minor into E major, and the stormy mood gives way to something brighter and more settled. I hope that when you listen again, you'll hear that change as a small homecoming. Did you enjoy learning about the listen guide for Symphony No 9's IV. Allegro con fuoco? I hope it gave you a few things to listen for, and a bit more confidence the next time the cymbals crash or the clarinet steps in. There is still a lot more to discover about Symphony No 9. You could look into how I came to write it in New York, or into the story of its first performance in December 1893, when the audience applauded after every movement. And if you want a story to tell your friends, a recording of this symphony went to the Moon with Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11 in 1969. If any of that makes you curious, please click on the links provided and keep exploring Symphony No 9 at your own pace. Whenever you press play again, I think you'll notice something new.