Antonin Dvořák came from very modest roots. Born in 1841 in Prague, he was the son of a man that was a butcher, innkeeper, and zither player. His music always celebrated the roots of the people of Czechoslovakia. His song cycle, Gypsy Songs, contains perhaps his most famous song, “Songs My Mother Taught Me”. This song is simple and warm, so close to the heart, and very humbly presented to the listener. Kirsten Flagstad’s voice is velvet to my ears and the pianist’s effortless ebb and flow transcends this timeless classic.
Songs my mother taught me,
In the days long vanished,
Seldom from her eyelids were teardrops banished.
Now I teach my children,
Each melodious measure
Oft the tears are flowing,
Oft they flow from my memory’s treasure.
-Anna Seda
Listen to Antonin Dvořák’s “Songs My Mother Taught Me”
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