Right hand
Thumb on middle C, second finger on D, third on E and fifth on G. The theme uses only those four notes. Bars 1 and 3 are the same: E-G G, E-D C. Bar 2 ends on a long D, bar 4 on a long C.
New World Symphony (Largo) - Piano Sheet Music (Easy Version, Main Theme)
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) 1893 C major 4/4 Beginner 0:18 Both hands
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The slow movement of Dvořák's New World Symphony opens with a melody so simple that many people take it for a folk song: a cor anglais singing over hushed strings. This page arranges its first four bars for piano, moved from D-flat major to C major, with the theme in the right hand and one or two long bass notes per bar in the left. Only four notes are needed - C, D, E and G - and the hand never moves, which makes it a perfect first piece. Play it slowly and softly, and let the dotted notes breathe. Press Listen once, then go to Practice and follow the green notes.
How to play it
How to play New World Symphony (Largo) on the piano
Left hand
A C below middle C for bars 1 and 3, a low G for bar 2, and in bar 4 G for two beats, then C. Hold each note for its full length, very softly.
Tricky passages
The dotted rhythm: a dotted eighth followed by a quick sixteenth, as in E-G at the start. At such a slow tempo it is tempting to make the short note lazy; keep it short and light, like a pickup into the next beat. Count "1 e and a" slowly.
Fingering
Bars 1 and 3: E G G E D C with 3-5-5-3-2-1. Bar 2: D E G E D with 2-3-5-3-2. Bar 4: D E D C C with 2-3-2-1-1.
Notes
New World Symphony (Largo) piano notes
The right-hand melody of this version, bar by bar, in letter names and in Do Ré Mi. Sharps are written #, flats b; a note held across a bar line is written once.
Melody: E G G E D C D E G E D E G G E D C D E D C C
| Bar | Notes | Do Ré Mi |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E G G E D C | Mi Sol Sol Mi Ré Do |
| 2 | D E G E D | Ré Mi Sol Mi Ré |
| 3 | E G G E D C | Mi Sol Sol Mi Ré Do |
| 4 | D E D C C | Ré Mi Ré Do Do |
Chords
Chords in New World Symphony (Largo)
The chords this arrangement holds for at least two bars, read from the score with the root in the bass. Each one opens its page: the notes, every inversion and the fingering, playable on a piano.
The piece is in C major: all the chords of the key
About the piece
About New World Symphony (Largo)
Antonín Dvořák composed his Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, in 1893, while he was director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York. It was first performed in New York on 16 December 1893 and is one of the most popular symphonies ever written.
In the second movement, the Largo, soft wind chords lead to the famous theme, played by a solo cor anglais in D-flat major over muted strings. Dvořák is said to have given it to the cor anglais instead of the clarinet because it reminded him of the voice of the singer Harry Burleigh. Dvořák's pupil William Arms Fisher later turned the melody into the song "Goin' Home", which is often mistaken for a traditional spiritual.
This transcription: Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 (1893), second movement (Largo): the cor anglais theme, bars 1-4; transposed to C major, left hand by GOONS Studio. Transcribed by GOONS Studio from the original work, which is in the public domain.
For kids: New World Symphony (Largo) by colors, on a rainbow piano that lights the next key and waits.
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In the studio
Practise with your MIDI keyboard, record your take, export MIDI
The full piano studio opens this score with your MIDI keyboard and sustain pedal, records what you play and exports it as a MIDI file. It comes with the GOONS Studio subscription - start with the 7-day free trial, no card required.
Questions
New World Symphony (Largo) on piano: frequently asked
What are the notes of New World Symphony (Largo) on piano?
In C major: E G G E D C, D E G E D, E G G E D C, D E D C C - Mi Sol Sol Mi Ré Do, Ré Mi Sol Mi Ré, Mi Sol Sol Mi Ré Do, Ré Mi Ré Do Do. Every bar is in the Notes section.
Is the Largo from the New World Symphony "Goin' Home"?
Yes. Dvořák's pupil William Arms Fisher turned the Largo melody into the song "Goin' Home". The tune is Dvořák's, not a traditional spiritual.
Why is the Largo in C major here?
Dvořák wrote the theme in D-flat major, with five flats. Moved down a half step to C major, it uses only four white keys.
Is the New World Largo easy on piano?
This version is level 1 of 5: four notes under four fingers and a slow tempo. Only the dotted rhythm needs attention.