mazurek for violin and orchestra
OPUS NUMBER | 49 |
BURGHAUSER CATALOGUE NUMBER | 90 |
COMPOSED | completed 15 February 1879 |
PREMIERE - DATE AND PLACE | 25 December 1879, Plzen |
PREMIERE - PERFORMER(S) | Rudolf Novacek (violin), 11th Infantry Regiment Band, conductor Karel Komzak |
FIRST EDITION | Simrock, 1879, Berlin |
MAIN KEY | E minor |
INSTRUMENTATION | 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, timpani, violins, violas, cellos, double basses + violin solo |
DURATION | approx. 6 min. |
Dvorak wrote his Mazurek in E minor at the request of his publisher Simrock who, after the success of Slavonic Dances, commissioned from the composer a short piece for violin in the same style. The simple form is constructed from two contrasting themes, one highly rhythmical, the other lyrical. Simrock published the Mazurek the year it was written, and it bore a dedication to Pablo de Sarasate. The piece also exists in a version with piano accompaniment. | first page of the score |