Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony Modern

Douglas W. Shadle

Oxford Keynotes

• Reconstructs the social and musical contexts of the premiere of Dvorák’s most iconic work
• Offers a provocative new account of the relationship between American racial politics and classical music
• Introduces dozens of previously overlooked primary sources, including newspapers, magazines, concert programs, musical scores, and letters
• Before Antonín Dvorák’s New World Symphony became one of the most universally beloved pieces of classical music, it exposed the deep wounds of racism at the dawn of the Jim Crow era while serving as a flashpoint in broader debates about the American ideals of freedom and equality. Drawing from a diverse array of historical voices, author Douglas W. Shadle’s richly textured account of the symphony’s 1893 premiere shows that even the classical concert hall could not remain insulated from the country’s racial politics.