Visiting Prague

Summary: life and work of the greatest Czech composer

Antonín Leopold Dvorák was born in 8th of September of the year of 1841 in Nelahozeves, a city not far form Prague, at the time part of the Austrian Empire. Anonín father was a professional player of zither, a string instrument, therefore it wasn’t hard for him to recognise his son talent. The sun of the Dvoráks started his musical education very early, at the age of 6 at the village school. However in the 50’s he moved to Prague to study in the Organ School where he learned not only piano but also violin and viola. With the great knowledge he got from this school in Prague Dvorák played viola in the Provisional Theatre Orchestra during the 60’s. Later Dvorák gave up on the Orchestra and started teaching, during this time he fell in love with Josefína Čermáková, one of his pupils. Although she broke his heart and married some other man, but Dvorák wrote a song cycle, Cypress Trees dedicated to his love for the Josefína. Nevertheless in the year of 1873 Dvorák married Anna, Josefína sister. Together they had nine children.
After his marriage he become organist at St. Adalbert’s Church and started to be famous. His compositions called the attention to Jahannes Brahms who contacted the musical publisher Simrock that commissioned Dvořák’s first set of Slavnic Dances. This set was published in 1878 and another work Stabat Mater was a success in London in the year of 1883, therefore he visited England where he composed his Symphony No. 7, a tribute to the city of London. Being in London was good to Dvorak to continue his studies, he received an honorary degree from the University of Cambridge, and his Requiem premiered later, in the same year in Birmingham at the Triennial Music Festival.
Between 1892 and 1895 Dvorak lived in America where he was the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. Here he meet and become friends with Harry Birleight a young African-American composer, who introduced the traditional American Spirituals to Dvorak. During his stay in New York he wrote the Symphony No.9 named “From the New World”. During the summer he moved to Spillville, a Czech community in America and while being there he composed the String Quartet in F (the American), and the String quintet in E flat, as well as a Sonatina for violin and piano.
In the year of 1895 Dvorak wrote Cello Concerto in B minor however he had problem with the salary and moved to Vienna where he worked as an honorary teacher in the Gesellschaft der Musikfrunde. Here we would also be close to his homeland.
The end of this composer’s life was dedicated to Opera and Chamber Music. He visited London again and for the last time to hear his Cello Concerto in B minor. From 1901 Dvorak become the director of the Prague Conservatory until his death in 1904. Nowadays Dvorak body rests in the Vysehrad cemetery in Prague.
Dvorak was the greatest Czech composer with a vast work of premier quality. His rich repertoire integrates nine Symphonies, five Symponic Poems, ten operas and some Chamber compositions, as well as Oratorical Works and a great number of concerts.

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