1878 was an important year for Antonín Dvorák: Dvorák's friend Johannes Brahms helped lift him from the pit of obscurity by arranging for the German publication of his Moravian Duets; consequently, he received the commission for the first volume of his Slavonic Dances that, to this day, remain, alongside the "New World" Symphony, Dvorák's best-known music. These events mark the beginning of Dvorák's so-called "Slavonic" period (late 1870s to early 1880s), during which he responded directly to public demand and his publisher's wishes by composing music explicitly Bohemian/Czech/Moravian in tone, style, and to some extent, design. The three Slavonic Rhapsodies for orchestra, Op. 45, of 1878, are the largest manifestations of that financially lucrative musical vein.

The first of the three Slavonic Rhapsodies in D major, Op. 45/1, was composed during February and March 1878 and thus actually pre-dates the Slavonic Dances; No. 2 in G minor and No. 3 in A flat major followed in autumn and early winter, respectively. The orchestra employed is reasonably large; the usual contingent of winds and strings is augmented by harp and a sizeable percussion brigade. The three pieces coalesce to form a cycle of sorts, though one hardly ever hears them played together as a set.

The most memorable feature of No. 1 is the central march-like episode, while No. 2 is distinguished by its many shifts between 3/4 and 4/4 time. The third Slavonic Rhapsody opens with a harp solo whose substance is immediately taken up by the woodwinds, and proceeds to explore a series of good-natured tunes; the grand climax seems to dissolve away elusively without a final resolution, but in the end two bright chords draw the piece to the cadence we crave.

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