Dvorak (1841-1904) spent three years (1892-5) in America as a princely paid orchestra director in NYC, returning to his native Bohemia because of homesickness. While here, he spent his holidays in a Bohemian colony in Spillville, Iowa, where he completed this symphony. He described studying American Indian and “Negro” melodies, and wished to inclusively evoke American musical spirit, but all melodies in the Symphony are his own. The 1st mvmt opens with a melancholy intro that leads to the Allegro, which evokes national melodies or folk songs (e.g., Turkey in the Straw and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot). The tender, nostalgic, hopeful and haunting 2nd mvmt Largo is famous; the lyrics “Goin’ Home” were put to it in 1923. The 3rd mvmt Scherzo, wrote Dvorak, “was suggested by the scene at the feast in Hiawatha [in Longfellows’ poem] where the Indians dance.” The final mvmt boasts a bold brass theme and two other lovely melodies, and recollects all of the Symphony’s themes, building to a thrilling climax by throwing them all together near the end.