Leigh
Raskauskas
Music
89S
Paper
Beethoven’s
Influence
on
Dvořák
through
Brahms
As
the
great
historian
Henry
Adams
once
asserted,
“A
teacher
affects
eternity;
he
can
never
tell
where
his
influence
stops.”1
The
definition
of
a
teacher
is
as
wide
as
the
influence,
expanding
to
include
even
the
musical
realm
of
composers.
Composers
teach
not
only
the
audience
that
listens
to
their
music,
but
also
facilitate
the
knowledge
of
every
composer
that
comes
after
them,
teaching
invaluable
aspects
of
style
and
poise
in
music.
A
specific
composer
of
influence
would
be
Ludwig
van
Beethoven,
the
great
classical
composer
of
the
late
18th
and
early
19th
centuries
who
composed
nearly
three
hundred
different
pieces
over
his
lifetime.
One
of
the
most
widely
known
composers
in
history,
Beethoven
has
influenced
people,
whether
musicians
themselves
or
not,
beginning
with
his
first
composition
at
the
age
of
twelve.
His
sphere
of
influence
has
been
so
expansive,
so
all‐ encompassing,
that
it
is
difficult
to
pinpoint
the
exact
effects
he
has
had
on
any
one
subject.
His
influence
can
be
measured,
in
some
part,
through
similarities
of
his
pieces
and
composers
that
came
after
him.
These
similarities
are
not
simply
mockeries;
they
are
the
sometimes‐unconscious
homages
paid
to
their
great
predecessor.
One
such
subject
that
was
especially
influenced
by
Beethoven
would
be
Antonín
Leopold
Dvořák,
one
of
the
greatest
Czech
composers
of
the
19th
century.
Although
separated
by
a
century
and
a
few
countries,
the
measure
of
influence
Beethoven
had
on
Dvořák
is
astounding,
apparent
in
a
few
of
his
major
pieces,
1
"Henry
Adams."
BrainyQuote.com.
Xplore
Inc,
2012.
4
November
2012.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/henry_adams.html
1
specifically
his
Symphony
No.
6
in
D
Major.
But
because
Beethoven
and
Dvořák
were
so
far
removed
from
each
other,
Beethoven’s
influence
is
even
more
obvious
through
another
composer,
Johannes
Brahms,
shown
through
especially
his
first
symphony.
Brahms
and
Dvořák
lived
in
nearly
the
same
time
period,
coming
into
contact
with
each
other
frequently
in
the
musical
world.
While
both
composers
were
greatly
influenced
by
Beethoven,
the
best
example
of
“a
teacher
affect[ing]
eternity”2
is
the
influence
Ludwig
van
Beethoven
had
on
Antonín
Dvořák,
through
the
intermediary
works
of
Johannes
Brahms.
One
of
the
most
amazing
things
about
the
influential
composer
Beethoven
is
the
ever
surprising,
but
well‐known
fact
of
his
failing
hearing.
Born
in
Bonn,
Holy
Roman
Empire
in
1770,
Beethoven
wrote
his
first
piece
at
the
early
age
at
twelve,
and
continued
composing
well
into
the
increasing
deafness
that
set
in
during
his
twenties.
Beethoven
was,
as
all
composers
are,
influenced
by
a
number
of
people
as
well,
including
his
father
and
the
composers
Mozart
and
Haydn.
One
of
the
reasons
Beethoven
has
been
so
influential
was
his
importance
in
the
transition
between
Classical
and
Romantic
eras,
serving
as
a
turning
point
in
musical
history.
He
managed
to
write
in
a
traditional
style
while
at
the
same
time
blazing
new
paths
and
introducing
new
styles
to
the
existence
of
music.
As
the
late
Romantic
composer
Gustav
Mahler
pondered
as
to
why
Beethoven
is
so
awe‐inspiring
and
influential,
his
music
has
“a
universal,
all‐encompassing
quality
that
look[s]
beyond
conventional
notions
of
‘good
taste’
and
compositional
correctness
to
make
a
statement
about
the
2
"Henry
Adams."
BrainyQuote.com.
2
human
condition.”3
This
battle
between
traditionalism
and
innovativeness
stayed
a
theme
throughout
his
lifetime,
becoming
one
of
his
most
recognizable
features
in
all
of
his
music.
This
transition
away
from
complete
classical
composing
was
just
one
change
in
his
life;
Beethoven
had
three
main
styles
throughout
his
life,
starting
with
a
formative
period,
shifting
into
a
middle
period
also
sometimes
known
as
the
“heroic”4
period,
and
maturing
into
his
last
stylistic
period
in
1813.
Although
these
three
periods
all
produced
distinct
pieces
of
music,
Beethoven
composed
music,
every
time,
with
his
explicit
ability
to
create
a
“wedding
of
simplicity
and
complexity.”5
According
to
Leonard
Bernstein,
Beethoven
was
so
great
and
so
influential
that
he
was
positively
incapable
of
writing
anything
casually,
instead
turning
every
single
note
in
his
music
into
something
entirely
important
and
significant.
Another
musical
historian,
Jan
Swafford,
goes
even
further
by
asserting
that
his
music
seems
to
grab
each
and
every
person
who
hears
it
and
captivates
them,
saying,
“I
am
telling
you
something
of
extreme
importance.”6
Beethoven
remains
one
of
the
most
widely
recognized
composers
even
today,
with
some
of
his
music
often
used
in
everyday
life,
for
example
in
movies,
such
as
his
Für
Elise
or
his
Ode
to
Joy.
Beethoven’s
innovation,
significant
enough
to
usher
in
an
entire
new
era
of
music,
was
not
without
effects
on
composers
following
him.
Although
it
cannot
be
said
that
those
composers,
such
as
Johannes
Brahms,
followed
in
his
footsteps,
there
is
also
no
denying
the
influence
that
Beethoven
had
on
their
lives
and
music.
3
Hurwitz,
David.
Beethoven's
Fifth
and
Seventh
Symphonies:
A
Closer
Look.
New
York:
Continuum,
2008.
Print.
p.
9‐10
4
Kinderman,
William.
Beethoven.
Berkeley:
University
of
California,
1995:
p.
93
5
Bernstein,
Leonard.
The
Infinite
Variety
of
Music.
New
York:
Simon
and
Schuster,
1966.
Print:
p.
195 6
Swafford,
Jan.
Johannes
Brahms:
A
Biography.
New
York:
Alfred
A.
Knopf,
1997.
Print:
p.
37
3
Johannes
Brahms,
born
in
Hamburg
in
1833,
spent
most
of
his
life
in
Vienna,
like
Beethoven.
Like
Beethoven,
Brahms
was
also
influenced
by
Mozart
and
Haydn,
and
like
Beethoven,
Brahms
was
also
very
influential
in
the
realm
of
composers.
Some
lump
Brahms
into
a
category
of
the
“Three
B’s,”
also
including
Bach
and
Beethoven.
Hans
von
Bülow,
the
famous
German
conductor
of
the
19th
century,
went
as
far
as
to
suggest
that
the
three
composers
were
a
type
of
holy
trinity
of
classical
music,
saying
that
he
“believe[d]
in
Bach,
the
Father,
Beethoven,
the
Son,
and
Brahms,
the
Holy
Ghost
of
music.”7
Even
in
this
analogy,
Beethoven
and
Brahms
are
inexorably
linked,
leaving
no
doubt
as
to
the
influence
the
former
had
on
the
latter.
Both
a
traditionalist
and
an
innovator,
Brahms
was
a
master
of
counterpoint
and
development,
establishing
new
approaches
to
harmony
and
melody.
While
a
clearly
successful
composer,
Brahms
still
struggled
with
some
of
his
works
due
to
his
intense
perfectionism.
The
fact
that
Brahms
was
so
often
compared
to
Beethoven
intimidated
Brahms,
influencing
him
to
spend
unnecessary
amounts
of
time
perfecting
pieces
that
were
very
near
perfect
in
the
first
place.
After
moving
to
Vienna
in
1862,
Brahms
came
into
contact
with
the
musical
society,
in
particular
the
concertmaster
of
the
Philharmonic,
Josef
Hellmesberger.
On
first
hearing
Brahms
perform
a
piece
he
had
written
on
the
piano,
Hellmesberger
exclaimed,
“This
is
the
Heir
of
Beethoven!”8
In
reality,
Brahms
worked
with
a
bust
of
Beethoven
that
would
look
over
him
as
he
composed,
reminding
him
of
the
absolute
greatness
that
can
and
did
come
out
of
a
musical
piece
thanks
to
the
great
composer.
Stylistically,
Brahms
7
Slonimsky,
Nicolas.
Slonimsky's
Book
of
Musical
Anecdotes.
New
York,
NY:
Routledge,
2002.
Print:
p.
99
8
Swafford.
Johannes
Brahms:
A
Biography.
p.
37
4
developed
pieces
like
Beethoven,
sticking
to
a
more
traditionalist
method
of
composition
that
Beethoven
had
also
utilized,
although
innovative
in
his
time,
contrasting
with
other
contemporaries
of
Brahms’s
time
period.
Brahms
composed
with
structure,
form,
and
order
in
mind,
working
hand
in
hand
with
his
perfectionism
to
compose
“pure”
pieces
of
German
music.
Brahms
started
composing
string
quartets,
much
like
his
predecessor
Beethoven
who
had
successfully
written
sixteen
quartets.
The
interesting
thing
about
choosing
to
write
string
quartets,
however,
was
that
they
were
essentially
an
extinct
genre
following
the
era
of
Beethoven.
Brahms,
contrary
to
the
times
in
more
ways
than
one,
decided
to
compose
string
quartets,
reportedly
discarding
more
than
twenty
compositions
before
finally
being
appeased
with
his
Opus
51.
Brahms
was
so
influenced
by
Beethoven
that
he
decided
to
face
the
challenge
of
writing
string
quartets,
despite
their
relative
unpopularity
and
difficulty
to
compose,
“picking
up
the
legacy
of
Beethoven
and
carrying
it
further.”9
But
Brahms
always
added
his
own
twist,
doing
things
in
his
own
way
while
still
participating
in
a
type
of
homage
to
Beethoven.
Beethoven’s
influence
on
Brahms
is
even
more
apparent
in
Brahms’s
First
Symphony,
often
even
called
Beethoven’s
Tenth
due
to
undeniable
similarities
to
Beethoven’s
Ninth
Symphony.
In
the
First,
the
sound
of
the
orchestra
is
so
monumental
and
the
chorale
theme
is
so
reminiscent
of
Beethoven’s
Ninth
that
parallels
cannot
help
but
be
drawn
between
these
two
pieces,
and
accordingly
between
the
two
men.
While
Brahms’
First
Symphony,
also
called
his
symphony
in
C
9
Swafford.
Johannes
Brahms:
A
Biography.
p.
384
5
Minor,
is
innovative,
described
as
a
“paradoxical
resolution
of
conservative
and
progressive
elements,”10
it
also
correlates
to
a
few
of
the
great
compositions
of
Beethoven.
In
his
First
Symphony,
Brahms
models
his
layout
after
Beethoven,
starting
with
a
quick
tempo‐ed
first
movement
that
is
followed
by
a
slow
and
lyrical
second
movement
and
a
light
third
movement,
but
finishes
with
a
grand
finale.
Beethoven’s
style
of
adding
intensity
and
weight
to
his
finales,
especially
after
his
“Eroica,”
is
clearly
seen
to
have
influenced
Brahms,
manifesting
in
a
finale
to
the
First
that
is
a
“culmination
of
the
motive
and
dramatic
unfolding.”11
By
bringing
in
trombones
for
the
first
time,
Brahms’
finale
to
his
First
Symphony
is
clearly
reminiscent
of
Beethoven’s
epic
chorale
finale
in
his
Ninth
Symphony.
Some
people
argue
that
the
two
symphonies
are
really
not
that
much
alike,
as
demonstrated
by
their
different
tones,
Beethoven’s
being
much
more
heroic,
and
Brahms
more
gentle.
Jan
Swafford
argues
that
Brahms’
First
is
much
more
“lyrically
restrained”12
than
Beethoven’s
Ninth,
but
this
does
not
take
away
from
the
obvious
similarities
in
the
concept
as
well
as
the
layout
of
the
symphony.
There
are
also
parallels
between
Beethoven’s
Fifth
Symphony
and
Brahms’
First,
including
the
rhythm
of
the
fate
mottos,
Beethoven’s
distinct
pattern
of
three
short
notes
followed
by
one
long
note,
at
the
opening,
and
how
they
both
shift
from
C
minor
to
C
Major
at
the
end.
It
is
undeniable
that
Brahms
used
Beethoven
as
a
model
for
one
of
his
most
successful
symphonies,
with
Brahms
even
acknowledging
the
similarities
and
declaring
himself
that
instead
of
plagiarizing
Beethoven,
he
was
paying
the
great
composer
a
10
Swafford.
Johannes
Brahms:
A
Biography.
p.
405
11
Swafford.
Johannes
Brahms:
A
Biography.
p.
408
12
Swafford.
Johannes
Brahms:
A
Biography.
p.
411
6
“conscious
act
of
homage.”
Brahms
went
on
to
write
A
German
Requiem
in
1868,
a
piece
inspired
by
his
mother’s
death.
This
specific
composition
identified
Brahms
and
allowed
him
to
move
beyond
his
obsession
with
Beethoven
and
symphonies.
He
started
finishing
more
pieces,
moving
beyond
the
quartets
and
symphonies
that
took
him
decades
to
finish,
and
finally
having
the
confidence
to
overcome
the
perfectionism
that
haunted
much
of
his
early
life.
Antonín
Leopold
Dvořák
is
another
composer
who
was,
unsurprisingly,
greatly
influenced
by
Ludwig
van
Beethoven.
Born
in
1841
in
the
former
Austrian
Empire,
which
is
now
the
Czech
Republic,
Dvořák
lived
in
roughly
the
same
time
and
musical
period
as
Brahms.
He
published
his
first
composition
at
age
twenty,
in
contrast
to
some
of
the
other
child
prodigy
composers,
such
as
Beethoven,
who
finished
his
first
composition
at
the
young
age
twelve.
Also
in
opposition
to
some
of
the
other
famous
composers,
Dvořák
was
not
born
into
a
family
that
set
him
up
for
a
musical
lifestyle.
Instead,
Dvořák
struggled
through
his
early
years
as
a
musician,
with
a
“discrepancy
between
outward
poverty
and
inner
enrichment”13
so
apparent
in
his
poor
lifestyle.
He
could
not
afford
a
piano
or
a
house,
and
therefore
spent
much
of
his
time
shifting
from
house
to
house
until
he
was
kicked
out.
In
fact,
Dvořák
nearly
was
not
even
allowed
to
continue
with
his
musical
education
early
on
in
his
life,
as
his
dad
insisted
on
his
dropping
his
music
and
becoming
a
butcher
when
he
returned
home
from
learning
how
to
speak
German.
While
away
from
his
home,
Dvořák
had
learned
music
theory
and
how
to
play
various
instruments
from
first
his
language
teacher
Anton
Liehmann,
and
then
later
the
choirmaster
Franz
13
Honolka,
Kurt.
Dvořák.
London:
Haus,
2004.
Print.
p.
20
7
Hanke.
Liehmann,
a
German
from
North
Bohemia,
greatly
encouraged
Dvořák
‘s
musical
talents,
introducing
him
to
the
great
composers,
especially
Beethoven.
This
was
the
first
time
Dvořák
came
into
contact
with
the
music
of
Beethoven
and
it
would
change
his
life
forever.
Dvořák
began
to
revere
Beethoven,
especially
influenced
by
his
German
teachers
and
their
respect
for
the
great
composer
as
well.
His
father
finally
did
give
in
to
Dvořák’s
insistence
of
following
his
musical
dreams,
insisting
though
that
Dvořák
would
“take
up
a
solid,
practical
career
as
an
organist.”14
Dvořák
agreed,
happy
do
be
doing
anything
that
involved
music,
attending
a
German
organist
school
where
he
once
again
learned
more
about
Beethoven
alongside
getting
his
education
in
how
to
play
the
organ.
After
completing
his
two
years
of
organ
school
and
then
in
an
ironic
twist
of
fate
not
even
being
able
to
find
a
position
as
an
organist,
Dvořák
became
first
violist
in
the
very
small
private
orchestra
of
the
Provisional
Theatre,
following
in
the
footsteps,
once
again,
of
Beethoven.
Beethoven
also
started
his
musical
career
as
a
violist
in
Bonn,
giving
rise
to
the
suggestion
that
there
is
something
about
the
way
a
viola
is
placed
in
an
orchestral
context
that
gives
rise
to
the
mind
of
a
composer.
Dvořák
struggled
along
for
more
than
a
decade
on
a
meager
salary
of
a
violist
in
the
orchestra,
teaching
music
lessons
on
the
side
to
just
stay
afloat,
until
he
finally
got
a
little
extra
help
from
Johannes
Brahms.
Dvořák
admired
Brahms
greatly,
and
Brahms
played
a
great
role
in
assisting
Dvořák
in
his
career,
praising
him
and
helping
him
get
a
contract
from
his
very
same
publisher,
Fritz
Simrock.
In
a
letter
to
Brahms
in
1877,
Dvořák
exclaims,
“But
an
even
greater
good
fortune
is
the
favour
14
Honolka,
Dvo řák.
p.
15
8
with
which
you,
highly
respected
Sir,
have
shown
towards
my
humble
talent.”15
Brahms,
eight
years
his
elder,
served
as
a
sort
of
father
figure
for
Dvořák.
Although
Dvořák
did
have
a
very
close
relationship
with
his
biological
father,
the
man
did
not
fully
support
Dvořák’s
musical
lifestyle,
as
for
example
how
he
was
reluctant
to
even
let
Dvořák
continue
on
with
his
musical
education
in
his
early
years.
Brahms
filled
this
void
of
complete
parental
support,
encouraging
Dvořák
to
write
more
and
more.
Fritz
Simrock
was
more
than
pleased
with
the
work
of
Dvořák,
and
accordingly
asked
him
to
do
something
a
little
different
than
usual.
Simrock
asked
for
a
dance,
modeled
off
of
Brahms’
Hungarian
Dances.
Brahms’
Hungarian
Dances,
published
in
1869,
consisted
of
21
dance
tunes
based
on
old
folk
themes.
In
fact,
only
three
of
the
21
dances
are
completely
original,
the
rest
instead
focused
around
Hungarian
melodies.
When
Simrock
asked
Dvořák
to
write
his
own
dances
with
Brahms’
dances
as
a
model,
Dvořák
did
something
a
little
ambitious.
Instead
of
using
old
melodies,
Dvořák
used
only
Slavic
rhythms,
publishing
his
first
eight
in
1878.
Eight
more
followed
in
1886,
adding
up
for
a
total
of
“sixteen
masterpieces
of
melodic,
rhythmic,
and
tonal
invention,
surpassing
Brahms’s
Hungarian
Dances,”16
according
to
musical
analyst
Kurt
Honolka,
mostly
because
of
Dvořák’s
originality
as
opposed
to
Brahms’
method
of
simply
modifying
existing
folk
melodies.
In
addition,
the
Slavonic
Dances
were
a
little
bit
longer
on
average
than
their
‘parent’
dances,
adding
a
little
bit
of
a
different
air
to
the
two
very
similar
dances.
Dvořák’s
orchestrated
Slavonic
Dances
became
very
popular
and
15
Honolka,
Dvo řák.
p.
41
16
Honolka,
Dvo řák.
p.
45
9
profitable,
catapulting
the
composer
into
a
fame
and
fortune
he
had
not
experienced
thus
far
in
his
composing
life.
This
period
of
his
life
was
collectively
called
his
Slavonic
period,
characterized
with
overwhelming
support
for
his
compositions
and
abundant
commissions,
as
well
as
an
overtly
nationalistic
style.
The
influence
Beethoven
had
on
Dvořák,
apparent
through
both
the
similarities
in
their
early
life
as
well
as
the
fact
that
Dvořák
was,
for
the
most
part,
German
educated
and
therefore
developed
in
accordance
to
the
style
of
Beethoven,
cannot
be
emphasized
any
better
than
through
analysis
of
some
of
Dvořák’s
pieces.
In
his
First
Symphony,
Dvořák
clearly
shows
the
influence
that
his
worship
of
Beethoven
has
on
his
music,
as
the
symphony
is
reminiscent
of
Beethoven’s
Fifth
in
its
keys.
The
four
movements
of
Dvořák’s
First
are
written
in
C
minor,
A‐Flat
major,
C
minor,
and
C
major,
an
amazing
exact
parallel
to
the
keys
of
the
four
movements
of
Beethoven’s
Fifth.
What
is
really
interesting
about
Dvořák’s
decision
to
emulate
Beethoven’s
Fifth
is
the
fact
of
its
relative
unpopularity
at
the
time.
As
David
Hurwitz
claims,
it
is
unsurprising
that
Beethoven’s
Fifth
was
not
originally
widely
accepted,
because
“most
new
and
complex
works
take
time
to
sink
in
and
establish
themselves.”17
Dvořák
looked
at
Beethoven’s
Fifth,
hearing
the
genius
in
its
composition,
and
decided
to
use
the
piece
as
a
model
even
as
it
was
declared
a
generally
unsatisfying
by
the
general
public
and
even
the
musical
community,
as
such
showed
the
reaction
of
Beethoven’s
contemporary
Louis
Spohr
when
he
assigned
the
phrase
“unmeaning
noise”18
to
the
symphony.
When
Dvořák
set
the
17
Hurwitz,
Beethoven's
Fifth
and
Seventh
Symphonies:
A
Closer
Look.
p.
55
18
Hurwitz,
Beethoven's
Fifth
and
Seventh
Symphonies:
A
Closer
Look.
p.
56
10
poem
Heirs
of
the
White
Mountain,
a
nationalistic,
emotional
poem
about
the
Czech
people,
to
music,
he
did
so
in
the
style
of
Beethoven’s
symphonies,
“[believing]
unashamedly
both
in
Beethoven
and
in
his
own
people.”19
Dvořák’s
love
for
Beethoven,
for
his
music
and
everything
it
symbolized,
epitomized
in
his
knowledge
about
the
great
composer.
Dvořák
knew
everything
about
Beethoven,
as
well
as
other
influential
composers,
including
all
his
works
down
to
the
smallest
details,
allowing
him
to
subconsciously
incorporate
aspects
of
Beethoven’s
style
into
his
own
music.
Dvořák
composed
his
Symphony
No.
6
in
D
Major
for
the
Vienna
Philharmonic,
expecting
that
it
would
be
performed
in
1880.
Although
the
Philharmonic
did
not
actually
end
up
performing
it
until
1942,
the
symphony
remained
a
success,
said
to
be
the
piece
where
“the
gaiety,
humor,
and
passion
of
the
Czech
people”20
dwells.
The
layout
itself
is
typical
of
any
symphony
of
the
times,
with
four
movements
consisting
of
an
allegro,
an
adagio,
a
presto
and
an
allegro.
The
simple
layout
of
his
symphony
is
further
work
of
the
influence
of
Beethoven,
the
master
of
the
symphony.
Once
again,
Dvořák
composes
something
nationalistic
about
the
Czech,
saying
about
his
Sixth
that
his
“motto
is
and
always
will
be:
God,
Love,
Fatherland!”21
The
fact
that
Dvořák
still
chooses
to
write
his
nationalism
into
a
symphony,
a
symbol
of
the
German
composer,
shows
the
absolute
influence
Beethoven
had
on
Dvořák.
The
layout
of
the
symphony,
therefore,
begins
with
the
allegro
as
the
first
movement,
in
sonata
form,
followed
by
the
adagio.
The
adagio
19
Honolka,
Dvo řák.
p.
30
20
Honolka,
Dvo řák.
p.
49
21
Honolka,
Dvo řák.
p.
65
11
contains
a
rondo
and
woodwind
solos,
constructing
a
close
relationship
between
the
main
theme
and
introductory
melody.
The
third
movement
is
where
Dvořák
shows
his
true
ingenuity,
culminating
in
the
way
he
integrates
the
sonatas
in
the
movements
as
well
as
how
he
introduces
the
furiant
into
his
symphonies.
The
furiant,
or
“a
spirited
Bohemian
dance
tune
in
3⁄4
time
with
shifting
accents”22
appears
in
the
presto
movement
of
Dvořák’s
Sixth
Symphony.
The
furiant
is
not
only
where
the
symphony
contrasts
from
others
of
the
time,
but
also
where
the
Czech
composer’s
nationalism
is
most
apparent
in
the
theme
and
intensity
of
the
movement.
The
finale
of
the
Sixth
Symphony
is
an
allegro,
once
again
in
sonata
form.
Dvořák’s
outer
movements
in
particular
resemble
Brahms’s
Second
Symphony,
written
three
years
earlier.
They
have
similar
themes
and
structures
and
in
both
symphonies,
there
is
a
recurring
theme
from
the
fourth
movement
that
goes
back
to
the
first
movement,
tying
the
entire
composition
together.
Both
compositions
have
the
same
tempo,
meter,
key,
and
scoring,
adding
even
more
evidence
to
the
fact
that
Dvořák
was
highly
influenced
by
the
works
of
Brahms,
who
wrote
his
compositions
greatly
influenced
by
Beethoven.
So
it
was
not
just
Brahms
that
influenced
Dvořák
in
his
writing
of
his
Sixth
Symphony;
Beethoven
also
influenced
Dvořák
both
directly
and
through
the
intermediary
of
Brahms.
The
first
movement,
in
particular,
is
similar
to
Beethoven’s
Third
symphony
in
its
orchestration
and
transitions.
But
besides
just
his
melodies,
Dvořák
also
modeled
his
symphony
off
of
Beethoven’s
processes,
using
similar
compositional
techniques
to
those
of
the
man
he
admired
so
much.
The
second
22
"Furiant."
MerriamWebster.
Merriam‐Webster,
n.d.
Web.
10
Nov.
2012.
.
12
movement,
as
well,
is
similar
to
Beethoven’s
Ninth
Symphony
in
its
shape
and
instrument
usage.
Both
compositions
have
a
melodic
shape,
shift
from
B
flat
major
to
D
major,
and
take
advantage
of
the
use
of
woodwinds.
Dvořák
so
emulated
Brahms
and
Beethoven,
as
is
completely
apparent
through
his
compositions,
to
the
point
that
he
wrote
in
the
same
style
as
them.
Dvořák
wrote
conservatively,
as
opposed
to
the
popular
style
of
the
times,
following
in
the
footsteps
of
Beethoven
and
guided
along
by
Brahms.
Fighting
against
the
tide
of
new
music,
Dvořák
became
a
prominent
composer
who,
like
Brahms,
preferred
to
write
in
the
traditional
pure
style,
emulating
the
great
Ludwig
van
Beethoven.
Whether
it
was
Beethoven’s
style
of
integrating
traditionalism
and
innovation
or
simply
a
matter
of
his
success,
the
man
and
his
music
had
an
expansive
influence
on
many
composers,
including
but
not
by
any
means
limited
to
Johannes
Brahms
and
Antonín
Dvořák.
His
influence
is
undeniable,
shown
clearly
in
the
obvious
similarities
between
his
Fifth
and
Ninth
Symphonies
and
Brahms’s
First,
but
even
more
importantly
in
the
less
obvious
examples
of
Brahms’s
other
pieces.
Just
the
fact
that
Brahms
worked
with
a
bust
of
Beethoven
watching
over
him
points
to
the
fact
that
all
his
music
has
some
sort
of
underlying
influence,
paying
a
sort
of
homage,
to
the
composer
he
so
looked
up
to.
Through
this
connection,
the
influence
of
Beethoven
can
also
be
expanded
to
Dvořák,
who
was
affected
by
Beethoven
all
the
same.
Practically
raised
to
worship
Beethoven,
some
of
the
most
important
similarities,
to
Beethoven’s
Third
and
Ninth,
are
conspicuous
in
Dvořák’s
Sixth
Symphony.
It
is
not
only
these
similarities,
the
ones
directly
connecting
Dvořák
and
Beethoven,
but
also
the
similarities
between
Brahms
and
Dvořák
that
further
point
13
to
the
effects
that
Beethoven
had
on
the
Czech
composer.
As
Henry
Adams
once
concluded,
““A
teacher
affects
eternity;
he
can
never
tell
where
his
influence
stops,”23
clearly
exemplified
through
Beethoven’s
influence
on
Brahms
and
through
him
the
powerful
influence
on
Dvořák
and
his
music.
Ludwig
van
Beethoven,
the
successful
musician,
the
great
composer,
and
the
awe‐inspiring
teacher
of
the
19th
century
is
truly
a
composer
of
influence.
Music
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14
15
