Dvorak Violin Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra - First Movement

Dvořák's Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 asks as much of a soloist as anything in the Romantic repertoire. This edition presents the first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, for solo violin and string orchestra, with Dvořák's solo line untouched and a newly written close that lets the movement stand on its own.

Dvořák wrote the concerto between July and September 1879 at Joseph Joachim's suggestion. Joachim kept the score for two years before returning it with detailed comments, which Dvořák took on board in a thorough revision in 1882. Franz Ondříček gave the premiere in Prague on 14 October 1883. The movement opens without an orchestral introduction, so the soloist is playing almost immediately and stays exposed from there: broad singing phrases in the upper register, fast passagework, double stopping, and the stamina to hold ten minutes together. Diploma and professional repertoire in every sense.

In the original, the first movement runs straight into the Adagio without a break, which makes it awkward to lift out and programme on its own. This edition closes the movement properly, with a calm, settled ending written for the purpose. Play it as a single item and it sounds finished rather than cut short.

The string orchestra reduction keeps the harmonic foundation and rhythmic drive of Dvořák's scoring. Where the wind and brass carry material of their own, it is redistributed across the string parts rather than dropped, so the texture holds its weight without sounding thin.

Ten minutes is a useful length. It gives a soloist a substantial concerto movement without committing an ensemble to the rehearsal time a full concerto demands, and it sits well as the centrepiece of a concert programme.

See and hear the difference

Check the score and parts preview images above, then watch the complete score video below. They'll give you a clear picture of the engraving quality and overall difficulty before you buy.

Key features

• Instrumentation: Solo Violin and String Orchestra (Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Double Bass)
• Difficulty: post-Grade 8 to Diploma and professional (solo); advanced (string orchestra)
• Duration: approximately 10 minutes (first movement, Allegro ma non troppo)
• Edition: closes with a completed ending written for this arrangement, so the movement works as a standalone item
• Arranger: Paul Wood for MyMusicScores
• Format: PDF download, full score and all parts

Who it's for

Suits an advanced or professional violinist wanting to perform the Dvořák in a string orchestra context, and a youth, conservatoire, or amateur orchestra wanting to programme major Romantic repertoire without a full orchestral complement. Works well as the centrepiece of a school or conservatoire concert.