Dvořák’s symphonic works are part of the usual repertoire of major
orchestras, festivals. The strength of his melodic invention was
breathtaking even for the composer’s contemporaries (known Brahms‘
statement goes: “Dvořák‘s secondary ideas would – for me – suffice as
main ideas.”). He is known for symphonies and grand vocal-instrumental
compositions as well as chamber music and opera. Dvořák is a leading
representative of the so-called Classicist-romantic synthesis.
Antonin Dvorak was born in Nelahozeves in 1841. He spent his boyhood
in Zlonice, where he studied music theory and playing the violin. At
sixteen, he moved to Prague to study at the Organ School, where he
graduated in 1859.
Since 1862, he played the viola in the orchestra of the Provisional
Theater, where Bedřich Smetana became a conductor in 1866. Dvořák stayed
there till 1871. In order to increase his income, he also gave piano
lessons, where he eventually met his future wife. Originally he fell in
love with his pupil Josephine Čermáková, however, married her younger
sister Anna. The couple had nine children.
His first attempts at composing have not met with public acceptance.
After his wedding, he began working as an organ player in the Saint
Vojtěch’s church in the New Town. Dvořák’s path was significantly
influenced by music critic Eduard Hanslick, a Prague native working in
Vienna. In 1877, his work drew the attention of Johannes Brahms, who has
recommended Dvořák to Berlin publisher Simrock. Dvořák then wrote the
first series of his “Slavonic Dances” and received a very positive
feedback.
Dvořák’s family were frequent guests of count JUDr. Václav Robert of
Kounice (Dvořák’s brother in law) in his castle in Vysoká near Příbram,
where he found an ideály tranquil environment to compose.
Dvořák also worked as a conductor of his own compositions. In 1884,
he was invited to London to conduct his “Stabat Mater”. He met with
astounding success and gained strong ties to the English music scene. In
1892, he was appointed the director of the US National Conservatory in
New York. His stay in the United States in the years 1892 – 1895 brought
him a world renown.
After returning to the Czech Republic, Dvořák spent most of his time
with his family in Vysoká near Příbram. During this time, he composed
two of his most famous operas — Rusalka and Armida. In 1895, Dvořák
became a professor and eventually the director of the
Prague Conservatory, where he taught a number of important Czech
composers. Dvořák’s work has then been performed and celebrated both at
home and abroad, and his sixtieth birthday in 1901 became a national
event. He has been even declared a knight (“Ritter von Dvořák”) by
Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I.
Antonín Dvořák died of a stroke on May 1, 1904. He left a magnificent
legacy. Dvořák was a very religious man, he had a kind and
uncomplicated personality. Among his major hobbies were railways and
breeding pigeons.
