Humoresque No. 7 in G-flat Major, Op. 101, No. 7, is a short piano piece composed by Antonin Dvorak in August 1894 during his tenure as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. It is the seventh and by far the most famous entry in his cycle of eight Humoresques, which was originally conceived under the title New Scottish Dances. Dvorak began sketching themes in his American Sketchbook during a return visit to Bohemia in May 1894, though the final version, with its characteristic appoggiatura rhythm, was refined over a few summer days that August. The melody is elegant and immediately recognizable, ranking among the most familiar themes in classical music. A popular legend attributes the dotted rhythm near the end to the sound of train wheels on tracks, though no documentation from the composer supports this claim. The piece has been arranged for nearly every conceivable instrument and ensemble combination, with violin arrangements being especially popular. Its brief duration made it ideal for early 78-rpm recordings, which helped spread its popularity enormously. In American folk culture, the melody became the setting for humorous verses about train lavatory etiquette, beginning with the line Passengers will please refrain. The piece also appears in the film adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Trial. Nora Germain's 2024 album Postcards from Violin Mountain features a jazz interpretation with solos by Germain on violin and Izaak Weatherwax on drums.
