Table of contents
Antonín Dvořák: an analysis of the Serenade for strings – Mov. 3, 4 and 5
3rd movement: Scherzo
In case you don’t have it at hand, here’s a quick link to the score.
After the nocturnal atmosphere of the first movement and the gloominess of the second, Dvořák knew he needed to liven up the room. The 3rd movement is a fast-paced Scherzo, which literally means joke. We’re moving to the far key of F major: although if we read enharmonically the last chord of the valse, the F natural is the 3rd of the chord, therefore not so far.
There’s a curious thing about the structure of this movement. Normally a scherzo is built on an AB form, just like a Minuetto: A being the first section, B being the Trio. With a repeat of the A section. This is the structure we’ve seen in the Tempo di Valse. The Scherzo, here, resembles more of a sonata form: there are 2 contrasting themes (3 actually), a mini development, a recapitulation, and a coda.
The first theme is quite rhythmical in nature. Take a note of that first bar: the motivic cell will return all the way till the end of the movement. The cellos start with the theme: in their high register, something reserved normally for either a very light sound or something very lyrical in nature. Dvořák chooses this register to, yes, have a light atmosphere in the beginning. But right underneath he also writes “not too weak“, meaning it should still have a bite. It’s a piano dynamic, but still a vigorous one.
The game starts right on the second bar: the first violins echo the cellos in what it is – for 3 bars – a perfect canon.
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In the next 2 bars, they tighten up the space separating them from the cellos, reducing it to a quarter note, and then take the lead with a quadruplet of 16th. This last figure is imitated by the violas and cellos
And then used to bridge to a reprise of the theme. Look at bar 9: the violas have the head of the theme underneath the quadruplet; the first violins insist on the 16th notes figure, reiterating it multiple times; the cellos answer with the whole first part of the theme
We bridge to a reiteration of the theme, this time bouncing from the second violins to the first. The orchestration is slightly thicker but the dynamic is cut down to pianissimo. There’s a number of changes in accents, sforzati, and dynamics in general that differ from the first time the theme was presented. Those same 16th notes we saw earlier, are now used to build a crescendo starting on bar 32 which leads us to the 3rd iteration of the theme: this time, it’s in fortissimo, played by the couples cello-double bass and 1st-2nd violins
The 16th notes game continues and grows into another fortissimo, only to fold back. And look: they become eight notes, and then quarter notes. It’s a written rallentando leading us to a second musical idea, more lyrical than the first one. Still, it is built on the same concept: the first 3 notes of the first theme are slowed down and form the base for this second idea, played by the second violins
and answered by the first who then swap places with the cellos. The game continues in a succession of suspensions and reprises. At one point it seems like we’re going back to the first theme. But Dvořák tricks us and leads us to a new very lyrical theme on bar 120. It’s played out by the violins in octaves, accompanied by pizzicatos of the cellos and basses, and by the violas, playing an element taken from the last bridge
Technical tip
From bar 67 on, you can group the bars and conduct in 1.
The In tempo of bar 120 is, again, in 1. At 178 you can go back to 2.
Conducting in 1 the most lyrical parts will give you much more freedom, without incurring into the risk of slowing down.
For a full technical analysis, look up the video in the repertoire section
The second violins answer, almost somberly for a moment, and then the theme is retaken by the first and second together. With the building methodology we’re now accustomed to, the orchestration thickens, the line grows, and takes all the way to bar 178 where a mini-development begins.
You can see right away the first theme and the second theme overlapping
Notice how the crescendos are not the same for everyone now: the cellos reach the forte much earlier than the first violins. Dvořák uses a sequence of a 4 bars model to grow to the fortissimo.
Look at how, most of the time, this movement is built on the same idea bouncing between 2 sections. We modulate into F major and into a false reprise: on a dominant pedal we hear the first theme once, and then only its head, shortened into 16th notes until the real recapitulation comes in on bar 212
The recapitulation is almost the same as the exposition. Except that the second theme is used as a coda, built, at first on a pedal of F. A counterpoint which never fails to mention the head of the first theme sits on top of the second theme, gradually reduced to its rhythmical shell
Until we land once more on a F pedal where the head of the theme takes us to the end of the movement.
4th movement: Larghetto
After all the excitement of the Scherzo, Dvořák knows the audience needs a break. Hence, he writes a slow and tender movement before the vigorous finale.
Built in a ABA form, the movement starts with just the first violins and violas in pianissimo, playing a delicate melody of only 3 notes.
If you look at it closer, this melody reminds quite a bit of the one we heard in the B section of the second movement. Notice the eight note rest in the violas on the pickup to bars 3 and 5, to not disturb the line in any way. On that same pickup to bar 5, the second violins join in, while the violas are split into 2 voices.
It’s like looking at a very still surface of water. The cellos join in, echoing the violas figure from the first 4 bars. Small swells in the violas and second violins paint ripples in that still pond. The entrance of the basses on bar 14 anticipates a little movement, growing into a forte
It’s just a moment and the quiet is restored. The theme is sung by the cellos and violins accompanied by gentle pulsing syncopations of the violas
The same idea is moved to the G major key, and starts growing in intensity: the syncopations are cut in half, adding drama and movement. The music naturally accelerates without speeding up: 16th notes are turned into 32nd and we get to a quasi cadenza moment
That leads us into the B section of the movement. The atmosphere changes. We’re in C# minor. A 3 16th notes cell forms the base of a motive that bounces between sections
This 4 bars model is repeated twice, moving down to B minor. After that, the 3 16th notes are used as counterpoint while the first violins paint an ominous melody on top
The darkness slowly dissipates. Look at how masters work: the first 3 notes of the descending line of the violins are combined with 2 16th in the cellos and basses; the first violins answer with a cell that is not only reminiscent of what we just heard but also of the end of the first movement; the violas flourish the line with trills on a rhythm that we heard in the middle part of the Scherzo.
And just like that, we’re back to the A section. The orchestration is thicker but the atmosphere remains very serene. The theme reappears once more, fading away in a triple pianissimo.
5th movement: Allegro vivace
This movement has the spirit typical of a Bohemian village dance. Once again, we have a canon: the violins begin and the rest of the strings answer with exactly the same material one bar after. Notice the offbeat accents and the use of the Mixolydian scale
Technical tip
Conduct in one and follow the game that Dvořák set up by switching hands along with the theme bouncing from the violins to the low strings. Keep it small, and, most importantly, pulse, pulse, and pulse.
For a full technical analysis, look up the video in the repertoire section
The opening is repeated, with the regular E major scale, and lands on a dominant pedal. The main component is the rhythmic figure of eight notes. First violins and basses alternate sharp entrances on the dominant.
Notice the structure: starting on bar 14 we have 1 two-bars phrase; then 2 four-bars phrases; then 1 three-bars phrase; and finally 1 four-bars phrase which leads us to a new idea
The idea is bounced back and forth between sections. The end of the phrase takes us back to the opening idea, this time with cellos and basses starting off and the violins and violas answering
But the theme morphs: it’s rhythmical component takes over, and so does its off-beat aspect.
We’re back on the dominant of E major, the B, which through a few variations introduces another musical idea. The rhythm is, again, the most important component of this line played by the first and second violins in thirds, with a counterpoint of the violas in 16th
The parts are reversed on bar 94, and we’re taken on a ride to bar 113 where the cellos and basses take on the idea and turn it into a 4 bars model. The first violins answer with the same idea a third down
The model is repeated 3 times, for a total of 12 bars, and then shortened, taking down the phrase to a calmer atmosphere. Pay attention to the structure: starting on bar 134 we have 2 four bars phrases, then 1 of 3 bars, then 4 bars, 2, 3, and 4 once more. At this point, on this offbeat rhythm played by the violins, the main theme from the 4th movement comes in.
This lovely passage takes us back to a sort of recapitulation. Everything is tightened and the second musical idea gets developed into a very exciting part, starting off with the cellos and basses, echoed by the violins
The crescendo ends up on full chords followed by arpeggios lightening up the tension. The other musical idea comes back, used to build a huge crescendo, and explodes in a big off-beat fortissimo
The rhythm finally calms down, and a ritardando takes us back to the very first theme of the serenade, closing the circle
It’s just a moment and the end of the first movement takes us to the end of the last movement: a Presto mixing up the different ideas of this last movement and the serenade vigorously ends in its home key.
In conclusion
This concludes the analysis of the second part of this serenade. I hope you found it useful. Do not forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!
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