Much esteemed for its charm and purity, Dvořák's chamber music is considered among his best work, and the five string quartets in this volume rank among his finest chamber compositions. Reproduced directly from the reliable, well-engraved Simrock editions, published under Dvořák's own supervision, the selections Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 51; Quartet No. 11 in C Major, Op. 61; Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, "The American"; Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106; and Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105. Now available in one inexpensive, durable Dover volume, these quartets display the individuality, mastery of instrumentation, and wealth of melodic inspiration that earned Dvořák a place among the most richly gifted and versatile composers of the nineteenth century. Musicians, music lovers, and any admirer of fine chamber music will welcome this attractive reprint of five of the master's finest works in the genre.
Works, such as Slavonic Dances (1878), of Antonín Leopold Dvořák, a Czech, often incorporate folk music; he composed From the New World (1893), his final symphony, as director of the national conservatory in city New York from 1892 to 1895.