Antonín Dvořák’s “New World Symphony” Cover Art Concept

The second installment of my music cover art concepts, I made one for Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony, one of my favorite pieces, which by no coincidence I am pleased to be seeing the San Francisco Symphony perform later this week.

In line with my previous piece in this series, Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, the composers were inspired by America. Copland pulled from traditional folk songs, and Dvořák was inspired by both Native American and Black American rhythms. He was also moved by the wide open plains he saw in Iowa.

For my piece, I felt that a “purple mountains majesty” background was a good starting point, along with a few of nature’s creatures and a reference to the Sioux people who inhabited parts of Iowa when Dvořák visited.