Dumka, Op. 35, B64

This short piano piece is noteworthy for the fact that it is the first instance where Dvorak uses the term “dumka”, formerly describing a specific type of Ukrainian song. The dumka figure was typical for Dvorak’s oeuvre as an example of his pronounced Slav disposition. This, Dvorak’s first dumka, has a lovely melancholic main theme treated in a series of inventive imitations. The middle section incorporates elements which anticipate the style of his Slavonic Dances. The piece was published in Berlin in 1879 by Bote & Bock.