Introduction
1875, the year in which the Serenade for strings op.22 was written, was quite an intense one for Dvořák. It’s the year that marks his 5th symphony, the 2nd string quintet, and the famous Moravian duets among other works. Dvořák was beginning to be recognized as a composer which eased his mind of financial burdens.
Apparently, the serenade for strings was written in less than a couple of weeks, and was premiered in Prague in 1876.
The work holds for the most part that same spirit of an outdoor evening we recognized in Elgar’s serenade.

Antonín Dvořák in 1882
Antonín Dvořák: an analysis of the Serenade for strings – Mov. 1 and 2
First movement: Moderato
In case you don’t have it at hand, here’s a quick link to the score.
The first movement smells of a serene night in late spring, with a lovely breeze. It’s in an ABA structure, beginning with a delicate theme that – just like with Elgar’s piece – will come back in the last movement.
Played by the second violins, it’s accompanied by a gentle pulsing of the violas, while the cellos answer in the second bar
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Take a note of that small cell of 1 eight note and 2 16th notes: we’ll see plenty of it along the movement.
The first violins take the lead in bar 5, extending the same musical idea. They get more active in bars 8 and 9: perhaps the breeze got slightly stronger for a moment and took your hat away
Technical tip
Right from the start, visual score study will tell you how to make the most of your conductor’s space: start at waist level; small gestures because of the dynamic; legato stroke; and switch between right and left hand, following the alternating lines of the second violins and cellos.
For a full technical analysis, look up the video in the repertoire section
And just like that, Dvořák takes us to a gentle dance in G major. Based on a dotted rhythm, it never loses its delicate touch. It remains all the time in the dynamic spectrum of pp to mf, orchestrated very lightly. Notice the quadruplet of 16th at the end of bar 31: again we’ll see more of it. Following the model of the first section, the idea is repeated twice
before taking off in a different direction.
Second movement: Tempo di Valse
The second movement changes the tone, in contrast with the first one: Dvořák moves to the relative minor of E major, C# minor. He chooses another dance form: the valse. The structure is, again, ABA. The first part of section A presents the 5 bars long theme for 4 times.

Each time adding something new to it: the violas split, the double basses enter on the 3rd iteration; and the theme itself undergoes slight rhythmic variations. All of this, on top of the increase in dynamics, creates a wonderful 16 bars long crescendo
Notice this: the bar phrasing is changing. The first part was built on cycles of 5 bars, giving a total sense of balance in its 20 bars length. The second part starts with regular 2 bars phrasing, but on bar 31 Dvořák tricks us with a 3 bars phrasing followed by the hemiolas of the violins over 2 bars. All of this has the effect of throwing off the ear of the listener, creating an element of surprise.
Technical tip
Bar 31-33 can be grouped together, and keep very small gestures on the hemiolas on bars 34-35. These rhythms can be really tricky. Most of the time, less is more.
For a full technical analysis, look up the video in the repertoire section
This part is repeated again and then we’re taken back to the lyricism of the first theme. Notice, again, the hemiolas in bars 53-54.
The motive is retaken, again by the violins, in octave this time. They are echoed by the second violins and half of the cellos, while the other half keeps a lively pizzicato underneath.

There are no more clouds and the episode is repeated. After that, the second part of the B section comes along: the idea is now underlined by a counterpoint reminiscent of the first theme, passing from the violas, to the second violins to the cellos and basses

A short extension of it brings back a cell from the first theme. In piano first, then in pianissimo. But Dvořák isn’t ready to go back just yet. The pianissimo explodes in a fortissimo and marcatissimo.

This full force episode ends once more in a diminuendo where a downward chromatic scale topped by the hemiolas of the first violins reintroduce the cantabile theme of the B section.

Notice how that small thematic cell from the opening idea is now used as a counterpoint and as a connecting element to the A section. When it does come back, the A section is identical to the first time. Except for the very end: the last chord is not a minor but a major one, preluding to the happier time that’s coming up in the 3rd movement.

In conclusion
This concludes the analysis of the first part of this serenade. Hope you’ve enjoyed it and do let me know what you think in the comments!
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