Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Op.46 No.3 in Ab (Polka) - symphonic wind dectet/bass by Antonin Dvorak Woodwind Quintet - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1129885

Arranged double wind quintet/bass The Slavonic Dances (Czech: Slovanské tance) are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as Op. 46 and Op. 72 respectively.

Originally written for piano four hands, the Slavonic Dances were inspired by Johannes Brahms's own Hungarian Dances and were orchestrated at the request of Dvořák's publisher soon after composition. The pieces, lively and full of national character, were well received at the time and today are considered among the composer's most memorable works, occasionally making appearances in popular culture.

"Contrary to what the title might suggest, the dances are not so much inspired by Slavic folk music generally, but specifically by styles and forms from Bohemia. In these pieces, Dvořák never actually quotes folk melodies, but evokes their style and spirit by using traditional rhythmic patterns and structures in keeping with traditional folk dances."

This is my arrangement of No 3 Polka from the first set Op.46
In Simrock's original edition of the piano duet, no. 3 was the D major Sousedská and no. 6 the A flat major Polka - an order apparently approved by Dvořák. Their positions were reversed in the orchestral version.

The term polka referring to the dance is derived from the Czech word Polka meaning "Polish woman" (feminine form corresponding to Polák, a Pole). Czech cultural historian Čeněk Zíbrt also attributes the term to the Czech word půlka (half), referring to both the half-tempo 2 4 and the half-jump step of the dance.[2] The word was widely introduced into the major European languages in the early 1840s.