Má vlast
Dvořák wrote two groups of symphonic poems, which date from the 1890s. The first, which Macdonald variously calls symphonic poems and overtures, forms a cycle similar to "Má vlast", with a single musical theme running through all three pieces. Originally conceived as a trilogy to be titled "Příroda, Život a Láska" ("Nature, Life and Love"), they appeared instead as three separate works, "V přírodě" ("In Nature's Realm"), "Carnival" and "Othello". The score for "Othello" contains notes from the Shakespeare play, showing that Dvořák meant to write it as a programmatic work; however, the sequence of events and characters portrayed does not correspond to the notes.