On October 18th, the Dvořák American Heritage Society presented its inaugural DAHA Annual Lecture/Recital Program featuring Dvořák scholar David Beveridge and a vocal music performance by mezzo-soprano Mirjam Frank. Dr. Beveridge chose as his topic one of his most striking discoveries during decades of research in all aspects of Dvořák's life and work, namely the amazing quantity and stunning beauty of the Czech composer’s vocal music--operas, choral works, duets, and songs--and the peculiar circumstances that have caused music historians to underrate most of this music and performers to neglect it.

During his talk Dr. Beveridge played short recorded examples from several of Dvořák's splendid vocal works that many in the audience had probably never heard before, and focused more closely on his skillful setting of words in two works associated with New York--The American Flag, a cantata to an English text composed for and premiered in New York, and the Biblical Songs, composed in 1894, during his tenure as director of New York's National Conservatory. The Biblical Songs were performed live in their entirety by mezzo-soprano Mirjam Frank, with Dr. Beveridge's own translation (in its 'premiere') of the sung text attempting to capture in English the perfect union of word and music Dvořák achieved in Czech. Ms. Frank also sang a recitative and aria from the oratorio Saint Ludmila (1885-86).

THE MYTH: Further Background by David R. Beveridge

Practically ubiquitous in general discussions of Dvořák is the assertion that his most significant contributions were in instrumental music––that vocal music was a sideline for him in which he excelled to a lesser degree. In reality half of his output (measured by performance time) is in vocal music, which played at least as great a role as instrumental music in the successes he enjoyed during his lifetime. And close listening to his vocal music in combination with the words they express reveals his extraordinary talent for musical expression of texts. The myth of his specialization in instrumental music arose mysteriously in some of the first Czech reviews of performances of his works, oddly despite the fact that the same reviewers expressed strong enthusiasm for his choral music and operas around the same time. The image of Dvořák as a specialist in instrumental music spread to western Europe and America via biographical profiles written by Czechs in the German language. Fortunately the Czechs themselves (exhibiting what some would call a national character trait) have always ignored their own 'rules' about Dvořák and performed his vocal works frequently, but elsewhere the myth of his inferiority in vocal music took hold and, even in England where for decades audiences were thrilled by his large choral works, eventually led to concentration on his orchestral and chamber music.

Program Notes and Translations by David R. Beveridge

Photos from the event

Enjoy a replay of the event on our YouTube Channel!

DAHA President Susan Lucak, David Beveridge, Mirjam Frank & Michael Beckerman. Photo Credit Nancy Wight