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SYMPHONY NO. 9 "FROM THE NEW WORLD"

opus number 95
Burghauser catalogue number 178
composed 10 January - 24 May 1893
premiere - date and place 16 December 1893, New York
premiere - performer(s) New York Philharmonic Society, conductor Anton Seidl
main key E minor
1 piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horn
instrumentation 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbals, violins, viola
cellos, double basses
1. Adagio. Allegro molto
2. Largo
parts / movements
3. Molto vivace
4. Allegro con fuoco
duration approx. 41 min.

composition history
This symphony, Dvoraks most
popular in an international context,
was written during the first year of
the composers tenure in the
United States. An ideal set of
circumstances had presented
themselves by this stage in his
career: strong impressions of his
new environment, financial
independence, a sense of his role
as an ambassador of Czech
first few motifs for a symphony
music, and his ambitions to ensure
that he would not fall short of
expectations. All this found
Dvorak at the height of his creative
energy and contributed to the
genesis of a work of exceptional
quality. The New World Symphony
is the composers ninth, and also
his last (nine is something of a
magical number in the history of
music: various world composers
completed the same number of
symphonies, such as Beethoven,
Schubert, Bruckner and Mahler).
The symphony was to prove the
composers theory of the
possibility of using characteristic
elements of African American and
Native American music as the
foundation for an American
national school of composition
which, in fact, did not exist during
Dvoraks time in the United States.

general characteristics
The symphony is a product of
professional mastery. The unity of
form and content is flawless, and
the four-movement framework is
constructed with unerring
architectural proficiency. The
exceptional and compelling nature
of the work lies in its remarkable
lyricism and concise thematic
treatment, striking rhythms, purity
of expression, elemental
temperament and the equilibrium
of all these qualities together. A
characteristic feature of the
composition is the frequent
reminiscence of themes from
previous movements at crucial
points in each subsequent
movement, a principle which gives
the symphony its homogeneous
expression. Dvorak had used this
approach many times in the past,
but never with such consistency
and deliberation.
sketch for the symphony
sources of inspiration
From a purely musical point of
view, the symphonys strongest
inspirational source is drawn from
Afro-American songs. The
composer had come across them
during his first few months in New
York, on the one hand thanks to the
African American singer Harry T.
Burleigh, whom he had met on
many occasions before embarking
upon the symphony, and probably
via other sources as well. Dvorak
saw the prospect of establishing an
American national school of
music, above all, in lessons learned
from European examples where,
during the 19th century, folk music
had often provided sources of
inspiration, even in the case of the
most serious compositions. Dvorak
saw the roots of American folk
music which, according to this
principle, was to be understood as
the foundation of works by local 1st movement - detail of the score
composers, chiefly in Negro
spirituals that had emerged on
American soil. He derived strong
inspiration from the characteristic
singularities of these songs in
particular, their use of pentatonic
scales and syncopated rhythms.
Dvorak often referred to these
aspects in his interviews for the
American press: In the Negro
melodies of America I discover all
that is needed for a great and
noble school of music. (New York
Herald, 21 May 1893)

Dvoraks theory whipped up a furore in both American and European

newspapers and journals, and a series of eminent authorities on music
expressed their own opinions (Anton Bruckner, Hans Richter, Arthur
Rubinstein, Joseph Joachim and Anton Seidl, among others). A number of
them wholly rejected the idea, perhaps also because Dvorak had been
misrepresented: it was not his intention simply to take existing melodies and
forge them into new works, as was sometimes suggested. According to the
recollections of Josef Kovarik, these reactions didnt surprise Dvorak in the
least: Faced with all these articles the Maestro remained impassive and
unruffled, and he did not make any attempt to modify his statement on
American music. The only thing he said was: So these gentlemen think it is
impossible? Well, well see about that!
For over a hundred years experts have
argued whether or not Dvorak used
specific melodies from Negro songs in
his symphony. He expressed himself
clearly on this issue at the time, both in
public and in his private
correspondence. In an interview for
the New York Herald, he stressed the
following: It is merely the spirit of
Negro and Indian melodies which I
have tried to reproduce in my new
symphony. I have not actually used any
of the melodies. In February 1900
Dvorak wrote a letter to Oskar Nedbal,
who was preparing to conduct the
symphony in Berlin: I am sending you
Kretschmars analysis of the symphony,
but leave out that nonsense about my
using Indian and American motifs it
is a lie! It was my intention only to
write in the spirit of these national
American melodies! Nevertheless,
introductory chords of the 2nd movement most musicologists agree that the final
theme of the first movement is
consciously, or unconsciously, inspired
by the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet
Chariot. Its melodic outline and
rhythmical structure present so many
similarities that this cannot be regarded
as a mere coincidence.
The New World Symphony is also frequently said to have been inspired by
original Native American music, although it is not entirely clear how Dvorak
would have become acquainted with it before starting his composition. The
whole symphony was written in New York between 10 January and 24 May
1893, while it was not until June of that year that the composer ventured
inland. Even so, Dvorak may have come across Native American music
before this time. He essentially had two opportunities to do so: Thirteen years
before the composers departure for America, at the beginning of August
1879, Prague hosted a performance by a group of Iroquois Indians who, over
a ten-day period, demonstrated their tribal dances and songs, archery skills
and acrobatics on horseback. It must have been a spell-binding spectacle for
the inhabitants of Prague at that time, as borne out by the many reports
appearing in the period press. It is not known whether the composer attended
any of these demonstrations, but he may have seen notated examples of the
music they performed in an article published by Dvoraks friend Vaclav Juda
Novotny in Dalibor magazine. Dvoraks statement in an interview for
the New York Herald (15 December 1893) would support this theory: I
carefully studied a certain number of Indian melodies which a friend gave
me, and was truly intrigued by their characteristic traits imbued with their
spirit, in fact. Dvorak had another opportunity in New York itself, when he
went to see a Wild West Show performed by the legendary Buffalo Bill.
The productions, freely inspired by visions of the conquest of the Wild West,
also involved the participation of the Oglala Sioux tribe of Native Americans.
According to musicologist Michael Beckerman, this opportunity would have
presented itself in the spring of 1893 (no further details given), namely,
during the period the symphony was written, but only after the completion of
the sketches for the first three movements.

A question also hovers above

potential inspiration from the epic
poem The Song of Hiawatha by
American poet Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow. Dvorak would have main theme of the Largo
been familiar with the work back
in Prague during the 1870s,
through a translation by Josef
Vaclav Sladek, and during his stay
in the United States he would also
have had the English original at his
disposal. This epic poem draws on
stories of the legendary Indian
chief Hiawatha, incorporating
compelling portrayals of the
natural beauty of the wild
American landscape.

According to certain scholars, the poem provided key inspiration for Dvorak
particularly with regard to both central movements of the symphony. This
conjecture is supported, among others, by Dvorak apparently stating that the
second movement was written under the impression of the woodland burial
scene from Longfellows Hiawatha. Unfortunately, the authenticity of this
statement cannot be verified, since the only mention of it comes to us
second-hand: in her study Antonin Dvorak in America, published in 1919,
Katerina Emingerova discusses it with reference to an unspecified article in
the American press. As indicated by Michael Beckerman, who has examined
this matter in detail, no article of any relevance contains any information
about it. According to Beckerman, the symphonys second movement is
inspired by two scenes from Hiawatha: the main theme, the celebrated
Largo, has its prefiguration in the journey of Hiawatha and his wife
Minnehaha across the vast, unspoiled American plains. The central part of
the movement is said to be a reflection of the mood in the scene of
Minnehahas woodland burial. The theory that the inspiration for the Largo
lies outside musical contexts is also substantiated by the composers notes
written into the sketches for this movement: Legend and The Legend
Begins. The third movement of the symphony is, according to Beckerman,
inspired by a wedding scene, specifically the wild dance of the magician Pau-
Puk-Keewis. The musicologist here refers to the composers statement in
the New York Herald, according to which the Scherzo of my new symphony
was suggested by the scene of the feast where the Indians dance, and points
to the corresponding sense of urgency in the relevant passage of the text and
in the main part of the symphonys third movement.
The expression of the symphony overall is principally a reflection of the
composers wonder at his new environment and the new cultural impulses
that surrounded him which, via musical stylisation, his creative imagination
transformed into an exceptional piece of symphonic writing. In terms of
compositional technique, however, we will not find any fundamental new
influences. Dvorak travelled to the United States in his 51st year as a
composer with his own unique, crystallised compositional style and an
established canon of expressional means, and as a master in all aspects of the
composition process. Local influences could thus at most broaden his
expressive palette. Hence, although Dvorak used certain principles in the
symphony on which African American and Native American music is based,
there was no possibility that his work would give rise to an American
national symphony, since as one critic aptly remarked Dvorak can no
more divest himself of his nationality than the leopard can change its spots.
In the New World Symphony Negro and Indian motifs are interwoven
with Czech (or, simply, Dvorakian) motifs, in a remarkable unity of
expression, creating a uniform, balanced and extremely effective work.

characteristic traits of the composition

- pentatonic scale (five-note scale which does not contain the fourth and
seventh note of a traditional European major scale)
- syncopated rhythms (a shift of accent that occurs when a normally weak
beat is stressed)
- dotted rhythms
- Aeolian minor mode with minor seventh
- principle of reminiscence

formal structure and content

While, in terms of the choice of thematic material and the overall atmosphere
of the work, Dvorak really was entering a new world, in its structural
framework the symphony largely adheres to classical schemes derived from
the deeply entrenched traditions of European music. The first movement
(Allegro molto) is written in sonata form and begins with an introduction in
slow tempo (Adagio). Apart from the fact that the introduction anticipates the
thematic material of the first movement, specifically its main subject, it also
establishes an idea right at the start which might be described as a kind of
leitmotif of Dvoraks American period:
Its characteristic melodic outline later appears once again in the theme of the
third movement of String Quintet in E flat major and in the composers
piano Humoresque No. 1. According to Dvoraks instructions, the entire
introduction should be drawn out, where possible, which is not always
observed in practice. The exposition of the first movement is structured
around three supporting thematic ideas. The main theme is distinguished for
the contrast between its announcing and responsive phrases:

The fanfare-like announcing phrase is a defining factor for the symphony as it

progresses, later appearing at key points in all the following movements. The
second subject of the first movement asserts the American-Czech character
of the symphony: in its basic minor key (with a narrow melodic range,
lowered seventh and monotone accompaniment), there truly is something
Indian about it:

In a subsequent development of the theme, however, its character is

completely transformed (change in key temperament, broader melodic range,
parallel thirds) and it suddenly sounds almost like a Czech polka:

The introduction of the closing theme is rhythmically equivalent to the main

theme, but otherwise it is of a quite different, lyrical character. It is often
highlighted for its close similarity with the melody of the spiritual Swing
Low, Sweet Chariot. Dvorak also treats this theme in the symphonys
subsequent movements:

The development section principally addresses the main theme and the
announcing phrase of the final theme. Its dramatic character is echoed in the
harmonic progression A major A minor F major F sharp minor E flat
minor E minor F minor. The recapitulation is almost an exact repetition of
the exposition, the only difference being that the secondary and closing
themes are transposed up a semitone. The impressive coda involving full
timpani reaches its climax with the main subject rising up in the brass above
the orchestral tutti.

The second movement (Largo) begins with a remarkable harmonic

succession of chords in the wind instruments (E major B flat major (sixth
chord) E major D flat major B double-flat major G flat minor D flat
major). The genesis of the Largos famous introductory bars was by no means
straightforward. A whole series of variants have survived in Dvoraks
sketchbooks which preceded the definitive sequence. In one of them the
harmonic progression begins in C major and returns to the same key. In the
final version, however, the opening chord of E major emphasises continuity
with the close of the previous movement, which ends in E minor. According
to an interpretation by Michael Beckerman, the introductory chords represent
a kind of musical rendition of the formula Once upon a time.... Antonin
Sychra points out the connection between this chordal progression and
similarly conceived passages in other works by Dvorak: the catharsis in the
symphonic poem The Wild Dove, the chords accompanying the Water
Sprites aria in Rusalka when he cries Oh poor, pale Rusalka, sent by a spell
into the dazzling world! Alas!, and the harmonic sequences at several points
in Biblical Songs (e.g. in song No. 3 with the words Attend and hear me;
For I lament in my suffering and grief). The Largos main theme is a broad,
sublimely simple melody delivered by the cor anglais, set against a backdrop
of sordini strings:

The theme was originally prescribed for the clarinet, but the composer later
altered the instrumentation, since the sound of the cor anglais was said to
have reminded him of the quality of the voice of Harry T. Burleigh, whose
performances gave Dvorak the opportunity to hear Negro spirituals (see
above). In addition, the theme itself was somewhat different, more
European than the final version. In contrast to the sketches, the score
incorporates this minor but, in overall effect, important change, intensifying
the pentatonic character of the melody. The middle section of the movement
brings a passage in C sharp minor, whose nostalgic mood might suggest an
image of the vast and desolate American prairies (which, naturally, Dvorak
could not have known at the time of writing), the stylisation of an Indian
lament, and also a reflection of homesickness:
The image of inconsolability is further reinforced when the musical current
leads into a kind of funeral march above regular pizzicato steps in the basses:

There then follows a quasi-scherzo segment in C sharp major, whose dynamic

climax incorporates several thematic ideas: the Largo theme, the main theme
of the first movement, and the closing theme of the first movement. The
movement concludes with the soft return of the main theme, with the
sequence of introductory chords making their reappearance at the very end.

The third movement (Molto vivace) is written in A-B-A form. In Dvoraks

words, this part of the symphony is associated with the feast where the
Indians dance, which he had seen described in Longfellows Hiawatha. The
entire character of part A and its increasing sense of urgency as the piece
progresses seem truly to echo the passage of the poem which depicts the wild
dance of the magician Pau-Puk-Keewis from the chapter Hiawathas Wedding
Feast:

To the sound of flutes and singing, Till the leaves went whirling with him,
To the sound of drums and voices,
Rose the handsome Pau-Puk-Keewis,
And began his mystic dances.
First he danced a solemn measure,
Very slow in step and gesture,
In and out among the pine-trees,
Through the shadows and the
sunshine,
Treading softly like a panther.
Then more swiftly and still swifter,
Whirling, spinning round in circles,
Leaping o'er the guests assembled,
Eddying round and round the
wigwam,
Till the dust and wind together
Swept in eddies round about him.
Then along the sandy margin
Of the lake, the Big-Sea-Water,
On he sped with frenzied gestures,
Stamped upon the sand, and tossed it
Wildly in the air around him;
Till the wind became a whirlwind,
Till the sand was blown and sifted
Like great snowdrifts o'er the
landscape,
Heaping all the shores with Sand
Dunes,
Sand Hills of the Nagow Wudjoo!
The stirring rhythms in part A are interrupted only in its middle section
which, in its idyllic atmosphere, is in such contrast that one might refer to it
as a little trio of sorts:

The actual trio, part B, is also far removed from the wild rhythms of the
preceding part. And this is not all: the American feel to the music suddenly
seems to fade away. Otakar Sourek even speaks of a dance melody akin to a
Czech folk piece which, in its middle section, is buoyed up with dainty hops
and delicate trills, as if Dvoraks beloved pigeons at Vysoka set about their
own concert of cooing and murmuring:

After a repetition of part A comes the coda which, in its solemn expression,
defies the overall tone of the movement and thus represents a certain
conceptual transition towards the final movement. The dynamic culmination
of the coda then suddenly gives voice to yet another reminiscence: the closing
theme of the first movement.

The fourth movement (Allegro con fuoco) is in its essential features written
in sonata form, thus its ground plan gives a clear indication of the exposition,
development and recapitulation. The principle of reminiscence, which
culminates in this movement, however, introduces innovative elements of
form into the structure of the movement: in particular, this concerns explicit
use of themes from the previous movements. If the very principle of
accumulating reminiscences in the final movement points to Beethovens
Symphony No. 9, the manner of its application cannot be described as
Beethovenesque. In the Viennese classics last symphony, the beginning of
the fourth movement brings some sort of recapitulation of the thematic
material of the previous movements, after which there is no further instance
of it. Conversely, Dvorak exposes the thematic substance of the previous
movements, but beginning with the development section. The main theme of
the fourth movement, even for Dvorak, is unusually eloquent and productive,
moreover, it is immediately exposed for the first time in an impressive brass
instrumentation, thereby prefiguring the mood of the whole movement:
Its striking impact is further reinforced by an ensuing triplet variant with a
keenly accented rhythmical accompaniment:

The contrasting second subject gradually finds its voice in a broad, lyrical
cantilena:

The final energetic theme again reinforces the initial impression of the tone of
the whole movement:

The development section is proof of Dvoraks seemingly inexhaustible fount

of imagination in the cultivation of thematic material and in his ability to
keep on introducing new compositional approaches. In one passage, for
example, he interweaves the main themes from the second, third and fourth
movements:

The recapitulation is abbreviated in comparison with the exposition, so that

the majestic coda stands out even more as it takes in all the key ideas of the
symphony, including the opening chords of the Largo in monumental form.
premiere
The premiere of Dvoraks new symphony was awaited with unusual fervour,
especially after the uproar generated six months earlier by the composers
public statements highlighting African American and Native American music
as the foundation for an American national school of music. New Yorks press
had already printed a number of articles about the new work in advance, even
presenting notated examples of some of the themes. In accordance with local
convention, the premiere was preceded by a public full rehearsal held in the
afternoon of 15 December 1893. Despite the heavy rain on that day, from
noon onwards a long queue of those eager to get tickets formed all the way
down Carnegie Hall. The full rehearsal sold out completely; Dvorak and his
family were not in attendance, since social etiquette required that he should
not appear until the premiere. He apparently gave his own ticket to someone
who greatly wished to hear his new work. The New York Herald published a
lengthy report from the full rehearsal, in which a number of leading
musicians voiced their opinion on the symphony. Conductor Anton Seidl,
who had rehearsed the work with the New York Philharmonic Society,
declared that the symphony should incite the younger American musicians
to work in the idiom laid down so successfully by Dr. Dvorak and which
points in the direction of a truly national school of musical composition.
Composer Victor Herbert, on being asked whether the symphony would
influence the future of music in the country, answered: Yes, if the composers
are Dr. Dvorak.

The premiere itself, which was held the following day, on 16 December 1893,
proved to be the highlight of the concert season and, for Dvorak, represented
the greatest triumph of his musical career. The reception the symphony was
given is best described by the composer himself in a letter sent to the
publisher Simrock: My dear friend Simrock! The success of the symphony on
15 and 16 December was spectacular; the papers are saying that no
composer has ever achieved a triumph such as this. I sat in a box, the
auditorium hosted New Yorks finest, and people applauded for so long that I
had to express my appreciation from my box like a king (dont laugh!). You
know that I prefer to avoid ovations such as this, but I had to do it and make
an appearance!. We have a number of detailed accounts of the premiere
from extensive newspaper articles published the next day in leading New
York dailies (see below). The composers son Otakar, who was also present at
the premiere, described the atmosphere of the evening in his memoirs: There
was such demand for tickets for the gala premiere of the New World
Symphony that, in order to fully satisfy the potential audience, Carnegie Hall,
huge as it is, still had to increase the number of seats severalfold. All the
newspapers competed with one another in their commentaries, reflecting on
whether fathers symphony would determine the further development of
American music and, in doing so, they succeeded in enveloping the work in
an aura of exclusivity, even before the premiere had taken place. Its success
was so immense that it was beyond ordinary imagining, and it is surely to the
credit of the American public that they are able to appreciate the music of a
living composer. Even after the first movement the audience unexpectedly
burst into lengthy applause. After the breathtaking Largo of the second
movement, they would not let the concert proceed until father had appeared
on the podium to receive an ovation from the delighted audience in the
middle of the work. Once the symphony had ended, the people were simply
ecstatic. Father probably had to step up onto the podium with conductor
Anton Seidl twenty times to take his bow before a euphoric audience. He was
very happy.

performance history
The success of the symphony was immediate and lasting. The work soon
became an established part of the repertoire of symphony orchestras and
conductors in Europe, America and Australia. The first performance of the
symphony in Europe was held in London on 21 June 1894; it was performed
to Czech audiences for the first time in Karlovy Vary on 20 July 1894, and
the Prague premiere was held on 13 October 1894, conducted by the
composer at the National Theatre.

The main theme of the Largo became so popular that it gave rise to a whole
series of both instrumental and vocal arrangements. The best known is Goin
Home, created in 1922 by Dvoraks erstwhile American student, William
Arms Fisher (1861-1948), who commented on his vocal arrangement in the
following words: As a musician, I am inclined to look with suspicion on any
arrangement based on the work of the great composers. One day, in the
summer of 1922, when somebody put in front of me the Largo in a piano
arrangement, I played it only for old times sake. However, as I played, I
heard in my mind words coming unbidden: Goin' home - I'm goin'
home. I wrote them down and took my idea home. Obeying my inner
impulse, I elaborated it accordingly.

William Arms Fisher: Goin Home

Goin' home, goin' home, I'm a goin' home;
Quiet-like, some still day, I'm jes' goin'
home.
It's not far, jes' close by,
Through an open door;
Work all done, care laid by,
Goin' to fear no more.
Mother's there 'spectin' me,
Father's waitin' too;
Lots o' folk gather'd there,
All the friends I knew,
All the friends I knew.
Home, I'm goin' home!
Nothin lost, all's gain,
No more fret nor pain,
No more stumblin' on the way,
No more longin' for the day,
Goin' to roam no more!
Mornin' star lights the way,
Res'less dream all done;
Shadows gone, break o' day,
Real life jes' begun.
There's no break, there's no end,
Jes' a livin' on;
Wide awake, with a smile
Goin' on and on.
period press reviews
New York Herald, 16 December 1893:

Dr. Antonin Dvorak, the famous Bohemian

composer and director of the National
Conservatory of Music, dowered American
art with a great work yesterday, when his new
symphony in E minor, From the New World,
was played at the second Philharmonic
rehearsal in Carnegie Music Hall. The day
was an important one in the musical history of
America. It witnessed the first public
performance of a noble composition. It saw a
large audience of usually tranquil Americans
enthusiastic to the point of frenzy over a
musical work and applauding like the most
excitable Italianissimi in the world. The
work was one of heroic proportions. And it
was one cast in the art form which such poet-
musicians as Beethoven, Schubert,
Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms and many
another glorious one of the earth has article about the premiere
enriched with the most precious outwellings
of his musical imagination. And this new
symphony by Dr. Antonin Dvorak is worthy
to rank with the best creations of those
musicians whom I have just mentioned. [...]

New York Times, 17 December 1893:

In the first place, Dr. Dvorak has shown his thorough mastership of
symphonic writing by avoiding the pitfall which has invariably entrapped the
American composer. He has not made any use whatever except in one
instance of extant melodies. What he has done is to saturate himself with
the spirit of negro music and then to invent his own themes. He has made
himself completely the master of the fundamental melodic, rhythmic, and
harmonic peculiarities of negro tunes. He has had the musical skill to
preceive he essence of these melodies. [...] To sum up, the fundemental
melodies of the symphony are beauitful, as well as full of character; the
development is clear and logical, and the symphony, as a whole, is
symmetrical, powerful, and intensely interesting. We are inclined to reard it
as the best of Dr. Dvoraks works in this form, which is equivalent to saying
that it is a great symphony and must take its place among the finest works in
this form produced since the death of Beethoven. [...] We Americans should
thank and honor the Bohemian master who has shown us how to build our
national school of music.
excerpts from Dvoraks correspondence
to his friend, Emil Kozanek (New York, 12. 4. 1893):

...I dont have so much to occupy me at the Conservatory at the moment, so

I have time for my work and now I am just finishing up my new symphony
in E minor. It pleases me very much and will differ considerably from my
early compositions. The influence of America can readily be felt by anyone
with a good nose...

to the secretary of Londons Philharmonic Society, Francesco Berger

(Vysoka, 12. 6. 1894):

My dearest friend Fr. Berger, I am sending to you the extract of Mr. H.

Krehbiel analysis of my Symphony From the New World E minor which
was given for the first time under the direction of Anton Seidl at the
Philharmonic concert of New York 15 and 16th of December 1893. I called
this symphony From the New World because it was the very first work I
wrote in America. As to my opinion I think that the influence of this country
(it means the folk songs as are Negro, Indian, Irish etc.) is to be seen, and
that this and all other works (written in America) differ very much from my
other works as well as in couleur as in character, but I will not criticize
myself. I hope that the English people will understand me well, as they did
before, and I only regret not being able to be present at the first performance
of my work.

excerpt from the memoirs of Dvoraks American assistant Josef Kovarik

[...] On the tenth of January the

Maestro began the sketch of his
new masterpiece, which is called
Symphony in E minor [...] At the
end of the month of March the
Maestro was of the conviction that,
by the 15th of May, when he
intended to leave for Bohemia for
end of the score
the summer, it would have been
simply impossible to complete the
symphony. At this time he began
discussing with his wife what they
should do and how they should go
about it whether to prolong their
journey to Bohemia for a certain
time until he was able to complete
the work without interruption,
which was of great consequence to
him; or whether to call his children
 to America. After lengthy
deliberation, he decided to call his
children to him and it was also
decided that they would spend the
summer in Spillville. Now, when
the Maestro was safe in the
knowledge that he would finish the
work uninterrupted, he was able to
continue in a much calmer frame
of mind [...]

[...] In the meantime the Maestros children prepared for their trip to
America. On Tuesday 23 May they cast off from Bremen on the ship named
Havre and, by strange coincidence, on Wednesday 24 May, the same day that
the Maestro completed his masterpiece, they had reached Southampton in
England. Thus, at the end of the score, next to a previous note, 9 oclock in
the morning, he added another note: The children arrived at Southampton,
1.33 aft. telegram arrived [...] (see fig.)

[...] In the afternoon of the first day (after arriving in Spillville) the Maestro
brought me the score of the symphony, asking that I make a copy during the
holidays. It was a classic statement from the Maestro, when he handed me
the score: There, my little Indian chief, the symphony has 128 pages, so if
you copy out four pages a day, youll be done within a month and the
holidays will pass really quickly! The considerate Maestro, anxious that I
wouldnt know how to occupy myself for all that time, had taken it upon
himself to give me employment. I consented, but I also added: But only four
pages per day, Maestro! [...] I had to give him a daily report of my progress
with the copying. It was always the same: four pages. But, one evening,
when perhaps the Maestro wasnt in the rosiest of moods, or perhaps I had
fleeced him that evening (at cards) and the Maestro was certainly a sore
loser when I announced the usual four pages, he snapped angrily: Listen
here, Indian, you are such a lazy fellow! Only four pages, and quite empty
ones at that! I decided the next day to hasten the process considerably. I
wrote diligently and I managed to copy out a full sixteen pages. I already
knew things would be bad, and they were. When I announced sixteen
pages to him, the Maestro flew into a rage: What? Sixteen pages? Thats an
impossibility! Thats dreadful work, I should know! Are you trying to dig
yourself an early grave? Why do you do it? This is your holiday, man!

[...] In a coffee-house one day,

conductor Anton Seidl began by
saying that hed heard the Maestro
had a new symphony, so he asked
him if he would permit him to
present the work at one of the New
York Philharmonics forthcoming
concerts. The Maestro considered
the possibility but, upon leaving,
he promised Seidl that he would
give him the symphony to perform.
This was in the middle of
November 1893. The very next day
Seidl informed the Maestro that the
symphony would be performed at a
concert around the 15th of
December, and requested that he title page of the score
send the score as soon as possible.
That same evening, just before I
set off with the score, the Maestro
added to the title page the words
From the New World!
Previously he had only written
Symphony in E minor...

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