“The Wood Dove” (Holoubek), Symphonic Poem, Op. 110

Program notes

About the Work

“The Wood Dove” (also known as “The Wild Dove”) was composed in the autumn of 1896, shortly after Dvorak’s return from America to his beloved Bohemia. It is the last of four symphonic poems he wrote in quick succession, all based on ballads from Karel Jaromir Erben’s celebrated collection Kytice (A Bouquet of Folk Legends).

The ballad tells a dark tale of guilt and retribution. A young woman poisons her husband and, after a brief period of mourning, marries another man. But a wood dove takes up residence on her first husband’s grave, singing a mournful song day after day. The dove’s persistent cooing awakens the woman’s conscience until, overwhelmed by guilt, she drowns herself in the river.

Dvorak translates this narrative into four connected musical scenes, though the music flows continuously. The work opens with a funeral march depicting the husband’s burial, followed by festive wedding music for the hasty remarriage. The dove’s haunting song appears as a recurring motif, growing ever more insistent. The final section depicts the woman’s mental disintegration and death.

Listen for: The mournful melody representing the dove’s song, which becomes increasingly prominent as the woman’s guilt intensifies. Notice how Dvorak transforms the bright wedding music into something increasingly hollow and desperate as the psychological drama unfolds.