Dvořák’s Poetic Tone Pictures

Composed during the spring of 1889 while the composer was splitting his time between Prague and his summer home in Vysoka, the Poetic

Tone Pictures mark something of a turning point for Dvorˇák. He even declaimed, ‘This time I am not only an absolute musician, but also a poet!’ Indeed, this set of 13 piano pieces is distinctly programmatic, filled as it is with folkloric imagery, characters and interesting effects. His titles, such as ‘Peasants’ Ballad’ and ‘Goblins’ Dance’, begin to paint a picture and tell a story, something he would go on to do in the far more familiar orchestral works which followed.