Songs My Mother Taught Me [Saxophone Quartet]

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was a Czech composer. From a young age, he received instruction in violin, viola, organ, and harmony, and graduated from organ school. Although he composed during this period, most of his works were destroyed, and he only began composing seriously after graduating from organ school. In 1875, he won the Austrian State Scholarship for five consecutive years. At this time, he caught the eye of composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), who was serving as a judge, and Brahms introduced Dvořák's music to a publisher. Dvořák then published numerous pieces at the request of this publisher, and his name became known throughout Europe after his "Slavic Dances" were highly praised in a Berlin national newspaper. The work he completed after this was "Songs My Mother Taught Me."
Dvořák subsequently received various honors, became busy with musical activities, and his name became known in America. After receiving an enthusiastic offer, he became the director of a music conservatory in America, and during this time, he left behind numerous masterpieces such as Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" and String Quartet "American." Even after returning to his home country, he received very high appraisals from those around him, such as an offer to become the director of the Vienna Academy of Music (which he declined), honorary membership in the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, and the directorship of the Prague Conservatory.
"Songs My Mother Taught Me" is the fourth song from "Gypsy Songs," Op. 55, composed in 1880, and is the most famous of Dvořák's songs. It became even more famous after violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) arranged and performed it for violin. It is a work that showcases Dvořák's characteristic approachable melodies and beautiful harmonies.
(Commentary by Marie Kikuchi)

This piece features multiple time signatures coexisting simultaneously. It is important to cherish the fluctuations caused by the discrepancy in these time signatures and to express them with flexibility.
When performing the melody of the song, it is desirable to clearly change the tone color from other parts and make the song's melody stand out. Also, although there is an instruction for molto vibrato at that time, please refer to the deep vibrato of vocal music.
(Composition commentary by Hiroki Tanaka)