Songs My Mother Taught Me (Dvořák)

"Songs My Mother Taught Me" (Když mne stará matka zpívat učívala; Als die alte Mutter sang) is a song for voice and piano written in 1880 by Antonín Dvořák. It is the fourth of seven songs from his cycle Gypsy Songs (Cigánské melodie), B. 104, Op. 55. The Gypsy Songs are set to poems by Adolf Heyduk in both Czech and German. This song in particular has achieved widespread fame.

The song has been recorded by a number of well-known singers, including Jarmila Novotná, Gabriela Beňačková, Evan Williams, Gervase Elwes, Nellie Melba, Rosa Ponselle, Jeanette MacDonald, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Angeles, Joan Sutherland, Paul Robeson, Frederica von Stade, Edita Gruberová, Angela Gheorghiu, Magdalena Kožená, and Renée Fleming.

Fritz Kreisler transcribed the song for violin and piano and performed it frequently. His transcription was first published in 1914. Artists who have recorded instrumental versions of the song include Kreisler himself, Glenn Miller, Josef Suk, Yo-Yo Ma, Alisa Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell or Tine Thing Helseth.

The title Songs My Mother Taught Me has frequently been used by singers in recitals or on recital discs even when the song itself is not included in the recording. It was recommended by Classic FM (UK) as one of "10 beautiful pieces of classical music for Mother’s Day"

Discography

 * Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano) and Rudolf Firkušný (piano), Sony CD (1994) and Kultur DVD (2007)