13 TALICH QUARTET When Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) presented himself as a composer abroad for the first time, his career was turned upside down overnight. The Moravské dvojzpěvy (Moravian Duets) played a crucial role in this international breakthrough. They attracted the attention of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), who recommended them to the publisher Fritz Simrock (1837-1901) who immediately commissioned Dvořák to write another work in the same vein: the Slovanské Tance (Slavonic Dances). Music critics and music lovers took care of the rest: these two new works sold out in Berlin, and the publisher found himself obliged to reprint them. The way to an international audience was thus opened up by a printed edition of the duets with the text translated into German. However, the history of the creation of these short compositions is very closely linked to the Czech language and to musical activity in the home of Jan Neff (18321905), a passionate Moravian patron. Originally, Dvořák was just supposed to add a second voice and piano accompaniment to the folk songs, but he decided otherwise: he created his own music to the words and melodies of traditional Moravian songs. He developed his musical invention in the spirit of a simple folk song, while ingeniously proceeding as a modern composer. He combined what would appear to be incompatible: simplicity and sophistication. Shortly after the publication of the Moravian Duets, a Berlin newspaper published a major review by the famous music critic Louis Ehlert (1825-1884), who made no secret of his enthusiasm for the duets he had just studied: ‘As I read through it, I felt in my heart the delight of one who watches pretty girls leaping from blossoming branches still covered in glistening dew’. The article, which was very detailed and above all highly complimentary, resulted in the words of the critic himself, in ‘a veritable assault on the record shops’. From then on, Dvořák became a much sought-after composer.
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