Hussite Overture

The Hussite Overture (Husitská, dramatická ouvertura), Op. 67, B. 132, was written by Antonín Dvořák in 1883 for the gala opening of the Prague National Theater. The composition was originally intended as a part of a dramatic trilogy on the Bohemian religious leader Jan Hus.

As with the third piano trio, the Scherzo capriccioso, the Ballade in D minor, and the seventh symphony, composed in the same period, the work is written in a more dramatic, dark and aggressive style that supersedes the carefree folk style of Dvořák's "Slavonic period".

The overture is scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, triangle), harp, and strings.