Slavic period

In order to try to forget the recent tragic events as quickly as possible and probably also because of their neighbours, whose piano playing disturbed the composer in his work, the Dvořáks moved from Na Rybníčku street to a new address, Žitná 10 (today 14), which became their permanent home. The following three years (c. 1878–1880) are known as Dvořák’s slavic period, characterised by a strong leaning towards the roots of Slav folk music and, at the same time, representing some of the composer’s most productive years. Music flavoured with Slavic colour and nuances was sought-after both in the Czech environment (given the patriotic fervour of the time), and beyond the country’s borders (for its “exoticism”). Dvořák produced a large number of works during a relatively short space of time, among them, further Moravian Duets, the Serenade for Wind Instruments in D minor, the three Slavonic Rhapsodies, a series of piano pieces, String Quartet No. 10, “Slavonic”, Czech Suite, and also the first series of the famous Slavonic Dances. These were followed by Symphony No. 6 in D major, which conductor Václav Talich later described as a work “pulsating with the blood of the Czech Lands”.