Serenade in D minor Op.44 arranged for nonet by Frantisek Hertl

A serenade should never be hard work. Dvorak’s Serenade in D minor for wind was completed in no more than two weeks in January 1878 - which confirms that the apparently effortless spontaneity of the music is no illusion. It might even be thought that the first movement, written in only one day, is rather too effortless. But that is to underestimate the long-term influence of the opening march, which echoes well beyond the first movement. It might sound lugubrious in its minor-key harmonies and its bottom-heavy colouring - particularly if the optional double bassoon is added to the two bassoons, the cello, and the double bass which, with the three horns in the middle, are balanced at the upper end of the score by only two oboes and two clarinets. Ithe march is not as naive as it sounds, however.

A march is, of course, the traditional beginning to a work in serenade or cassation form. The minuet is also traditional to it, though not one like this, which in reality is not so much a minuet as a sousedska - a comparatively gentle Bohemian dance favoured by people too elderly to manage such energetic steps as those required by, say, the furiant, like the one introduced here by Dvorak as the “trio” section of his “minuet.”

Both the march theme and the minuetto/sousedska theme begin with a rising fourth. So does the appealing first theme of the Andante con moto, a lovely slow movement which must have occupied the composer for at least two days. There is a brief but emotional development, in which Dvorak makes resourceful use of the expressive power of his two string instruments. The cello’s pizzicato accompaniment to the recapitulation of the first theme and its A-string duet with a clarinet are two other highly effective applications of string sound in a predominantly wind economy.

The first theme of the Finale also begins with a rising fourth. In fact, it is very closely allied to the opening march, which eventually reappears here, still lugubrious in D minor but not averse to encouraging a modulation to D major and a transformation of the first theme into a cheerful polka.

Gerald Larner©2002

As a highly attractive work written by a Czech composer for a mixed wind-and-string ensemble, Dvorak’s Serenade in D minor was an obvious candidate for nonetisation – for arrangement, that is, as suitable material for the Czech Nonet. Founded in 1924 with instrumentation based on that of the Spohr’s Nonet in F – oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass – the Czech Nonet has over the intervening years been responsible for creating a whole repertoire for the ensemble, including not only new works but also dozens of arrangement arrangements of existing pieces. The present transcription of Dvorák’s Serenade in D minor – originally scored, in 1878, for two each of oboes, clarinets and bassoon, optional double bassoon, three horns, cello and double bass – is by Frantisek Hertl, for many years director and bassist of the Czech Nonet.

For anyone familiar with the original version of the Serenade in D minor the sound is distinctly lighter in the nonet arrangement. Given the additional flute, violin and viola and the reduction of the oboe clarinet, bassoon and horn parts to only one of each, the opening march is rather less lugubrious. In the middle section of the same movement Dvorák writes for his wind instruments in pairs – two oboes or two clarinets in thirds, for example – creating a congenial effect which can be simulated but not reproduced here. Unexpectedly, when the opening march returns at the end of the movement Hertl changes the instrumental colouring whereas Dvorák presents it much as it was before.

A march is, of course, the traditional beginning to a work in serenade or cassation form. The minuet is also traditional to it, though not one like this, which in reality is not so much a minuet as a sousedska – a comparatively gentle Bohemian dance apparently favoured by those too elderly to manage such energetic steps as those required by, say, the furiant, like the one introduced here by Dvorak as the “trio” section of his “minuet.” Again the problem for Hertl is that he cannot reproduce the effect of clarinets as a pair but he makes up for it with the violin and viola colours unavailable in the original version. Happily the horn counterpoints introduced by Dvorák in both the middle and the outer section remain intact.

An interesting feature of the Andante con moto in both versions is the prominence given to the cello and double bass, not least in the brief but emotional development section where Dvorák makes particularly resourceful use of their expressive eloquence. The cello’s pizzicato accompaniment to the recapitulation of the first theme and its A-string duet with a woodwind soloist are two other highly effective applications of string sound in a predominantly wind economy. Although the syncopated rhythms on the horns in the opening bars of of the original have to be transferred to violin and viola and although the melodic line is distributed in such a way as to introduce the flute into the conversation, the lyrical beauty of the movement is unaffected.

The brisk first theme of the Finale begins with a rising fourth, echoing the openings of all three previous movements. It is most closely related, however, to the march tune at the beginning of the work, which eventually reappears here – still in D minor, still lugubrious in the original version but brightened here by a solo violin, and in both cases willing to encourage a modulation to D major and a transformation of the first theme into a cheerful polka.