Antonin Dvorak

Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer born in 1841 and died in 1904. He often used the rhythms and folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic nationalist path set by his predecessor Bedřich Smetana. Critics have called his style the fullest recreation of a national idiom within the symphonic tradition, skillfully absorbing folk influences, and have described him as arguably the most versatile composer of his time.

Dvořák showed musical talent early, excelling as a violin student. His first public works were performed in Prague in 1872, with a notable success in 1873 when he was 31. To gain recognition beyond Prague, he submitted symphonies and other scores to competitions in Germany and Austria. He won a prize in 1874, with Johannes Brahms on the jury of the Austrian State Competition. After his third win in 1877, Brahms recommended him to publisher Simrock, who commissioned the *Slavonic Dances*, Op. 46. High sheet music sales and critical acclaim brought international success. A London performance of his *Stabat Mater* in 1883 led to many performances in the UK, the US, and Russia by 1890. He wrote his Seventh Symphony for London in 1885.

In 1892, Dvořák became director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York City. While in the US, he wrote his two most successful orchestral works: the *Symphony From the New World*, which spread his fame worldwide, and his *Cello Concerto*, one of the most highly regarded cello concertos. During a summer holiday in Spillville, Iowa, in 1893, he also composed his most famous chamber piece, the twelfth *String Quartet in F major*, Op. 96, known as the *American*. He stayed at the conservatory for a few more years, but pay cuts and homesickness led him to return to Bohemia in 1895.

All but his first opera have Czech librettos and were meant to convey Czech national spirit, as were some of his choral works. His most successful opera is *Rusalka*, premiered in 1901. Among his smaller works, the seventh *Humoresque* and the song "Songs My Mother Taught Me" are widely performed and recorded. The Dvořák Prague International Music Festival is an annual concert series celebrating his life and work.

Dvořák was born in Nelahozeves near Prague, in the Austrian Empire, the eldest son of František Dvořák, an innkeeper, zither player, and butcher, and his wife Anna. He was the first of 14 children, eight of whom survived infancy. Baptized Roman Catholic, his early years in Nelahozeves fostered his strong Christian faith and love for his Bohemian heritage. He began primary school in 1847, learning violin from teacher Joseph Spitz, and soon played in a village band and church. The train station built during his childhood gave him a lifelong passion for trains.

His father, though unsuccessful as an innkeeper and butcher, made a living as a musician and was pleased with his son's gifts. At age 13, Dvořák was sent to Zlonice in 1853 to live with his uncle Antonín Zdenĕk and learn German. His first composition, the "Forget-Me-Not Polka" in C, was possibly written as early as 1855. He took organ, piano, and violin lessons from his German teacher Antonín Liehmann, who also taught him music theory and introduced him to contemporary composers. Despite Liehmann's violent temper, Dvořák respected him. Liehmann, the church organist in Zlonice, sometimes let Dvořák play the organ at services. He later took further organ and theory lessons in Česká Kamenice with Franz Hanke, who was more sympathetic and encouraged his talents. At 16, urged by Liehmann and his uncle, his father allowed him to become a musician on the condition he work toward a career as an organist. In September 1857, Dvořák entered the Prague Organ School, studying singing, theory, and organ. He also took a German language course and worked as an extra violist in various orchestras, including the St. Cecilia Society. He graduated second in his class in 1859 but failed to get a position as organist at Prague St. Henry's Church, though he continued pursuing music.

In 1858, he joined Karel Komzák's orchestra, performing in Prague restaurants and balls. The ensemble's high level caught the attention of Jan Nepomuk Maýr, who hired the whole orchestra for the Bohemian Provisional Theatre Orchestra. Dvořák played viola there starting in 1862, which allowed him to hear music, mainly operas, since he could hardly afford concert tickets. In July 1863, he played in a program devoted to Richard Wagner, who conducted the orchestra, and Dvořák had "unbounded" admiration for him.