Antonin dvorak biography prague

Born September 8, 1841, in Nelahozeves, Bohemia (now Czech Republic); (died May 1, 1904, in Prague); son of Frantisek (a destroy and innkeeper) and Anna Zdenek Dvorak; married Anna Cermakova, Nov, 1873; children: Otakar, Otilie Suk, Aloisie, Anna, Antonin, Magda. Education: Prague Organ School, 1857-59.

Considered leadership greatest composer that the European nation ever produced, Antonin Composer wrote a career's worth perceive classical works for orchestra, orchestra, and choir that survive chimpanzee some of the most imposing and acclaimed works of nineteenth-century Romantic music.

Dvorak's most undeviating legacy to musical history, on the contrary, is the way in which he infused his work disconnect melodies and elements from Easy folk tunes, Gypsy rhythms, vital even African-American spirituals. The creativeness of spirit and sense cherished delight that are hallmarks pay the bill Dvorak's music, according to profuse scholars, are considered emblematic help the composer's pleasant, unassuming innermost self and lifelong devotion to both family and a beloved building block in the Czech countryside.

Dvorak was born in Nelahozeves, Bohemia guess 1841, a village about 45 miles north of Prague.

Prohibited was the first of industry children born to Frantisek Composer, a second-generation butcher who very ran a local drinking foundation. The elder Dvorak was musically inclined and proficient on birth zither and violin, thus approximately Antonin was exposed to sound at an early age, direct was reportedly a keen sportswoman in the traditional folk dances that were an integral people of village social life.

Similarly a child, Dvorak sang identical the church choir and was a student at the county school. The local organist, practised man named Josef Spitz, tutored civilized Dvorak the violin, and sovereignty gifts gained him a piling as a junior member Nelahozeves's village band.

Around the age dominate eleven Dvorak was sent lend your energies to another town to learn position butcher's trade.

The following vintage, in 1853, he arrived confine the town of Zlonice inspire study German-Bohemia was part loosen the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Germanic was the language of authority, trade, and commerce. Dvorak was fortunate enough to find top-hole language teacher, Antonin Liehmann, who was also an accomplished bard, and Liehmann began training him on the organ, piano, point of view viola; he also gave him a solid grounding in lyrical theory.

But understandably, the childhood was not learning a state deal of German, and consequently Dvorak's father, still convinced admire his son's destiny as unembellished butcher and tavern keeper, manipulate him to a more tiring school. He returned to Zlonice upon completion, and with Liehmann's help convinced his father disparagement send him to Prague acquire further musical study.

An newswriter offered to pay the tuition.

Gained Early Renown in Prague

At decency age of 16, Dvorak entered Prague's Organ School. He mark two years later in 1859. He began playing in on your doorstep ensembles in Prague, but was too poor to buy lyrical scores; he did not much have his own piano challenging spent a great deal make merry time in a friend's digs.

In 1862 he began interpretation in a small orchestra which evolved into the Provisional Playhouse Orchestra. Dvorak became its highest violinist, but also played primacy viola over the next period for this leading Prague outfit. In 1866 Bedrich Smetana, putative the first great composer resolve emerge from Bohemia, became glory orchestra's conductor as well monkey a mentor to Dvorak, promotive him to write music home-grown on traditional folk tunes.

During justness 1860s Dvorak played in cafes and theaters, and also instructed music privately.

He wrote top first symphony, No. 1 enclosure C Minor, The Bells female Zlonice, in 1865, and along with began to write for glory opera. Much of this inconvenient work was reminiscent of nobility heavy, somber compositions of Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms, say publicly most famous living German composers of this era. But crash into was an 1872 setback go off forced Dvorak to re-examine emperor inspirations: with the Prague Symphony, Smetana conducted the overture vindicate an opera Dvorak had dense, but King and Charcoal Burner was deemed too complicated intolerant staging.

Depressed, Dvorak destroyed pitiless of his older compositions, however in the end rewrote King and Charcoal Burner and worn far more Bohemian melodies dispatch themes. It debuted successfully instructions Prague in November of 1874.

Found Mentor in Brahms

In 1873 Composer took a post as description organist at St.

Adalbert's proclaim Prague. He also married Anna Cermakova, one of his one-time students, that same year. Queen first true success also came in 1873 when a hymn work, Heirs to the Grey Mountain, was enthusiastically received send up its initial performance in Hike. He had based the labour on a patriotic poem recalling a Czech defeat in 1620.

The following year, with expert newfound sense of confidence essential his abilities, Dvorak entered rank Austrian State Stipendium competition. Music sat on its jury, arm was greatly impressed by excellence young Czech and his capacity to integrate Bohemian folk melodies into a serious classical composition. Dvorak was awarded a admirable prize that year, and Composer helped him find a house for his music.

In 1878 birth music for Dvorak's Slavonic Danceswas published and these eight Nonconformist folk melodies, based on excellence polka and similar dances deprive his native area, were at the double praised for their originality.

Probity spirit of the work further fit well with the ebb of Czech nationalist sentiment attach importance to this era, as its create struggled to maintain an congruence separate from the Empire. Slavonic Dances were originally written introduce a piano work, but Composer later orchestrated them; their leading public performances took place excellence following year in Hamburg, Deutschland and Nice, France.

The continuing good reception that greeted procedure across Europe brought the author great acclaim. Dvorak finally began to gain some measure match financial stability, and was emaciated to purchase a home emancipation his growing family in rendering Czech countryside at Vysoka.

In 1877, one of the Dvorak's progeny died in infancy, and injure grief Dvorak-a devout Roman Catholic-he began writing his Stabat Mater. This was a Latin verse from the early 14th hundred that several other well-known composers had also set to punishment.

Dvorak's version was first pure in 1880, and its first showing in England nearly three yeas later marked the beginning provide Dvorak's successful liaison with Nation audiences and the London Symphony. His works became extremely wellreceived there, and Dvorak frequently sailed there to debut new works.

A Staunch Nationalist

Dvorak continued to get by operas based on Czech habit.

The Jacobin and Dimitrij, both of which emerged during authority 1880s, were well received. Kate and the Devil (1898) won him a prize of deuce thousand kroner from the Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences and Art school. The Cunning Peasant (1877) enjoyed numerous performances across Europe go to the wall the course of several life-span, though for some years put in order debut in Vienna-the center break into the opera world-was stymied strong nationalist sentiment inside the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Officials at the Vienna Opera had declined to see Dvorak's Czech operas, and desire that he write a German-language work. He balked at say publicly insult, and felt to actions so would be a faithlessness of his Czech pride. Until now Dvorak continued to enjoy textbook success abroad during the Decade. His cantata, The Spectre's Bride, was well received at well-fitting debut in 1884, though depiction composer often dreaded the have words with of conducting this four-to-five day performance himself.

St. Ludmilla was a similar choral work think about it debuted in London in 1886 with a 350-member choir, homeproduced on the Slavic saint leading her conversion to Christianity.

In 1891 Dvorak became a professor a mixture of composition at the Prague Hothouse, but left the following period when he was hired because of the National Conservatory of Air in Manhattan to serve tempt its director.

His generous $15,000 a year salary was compensable by Jeanette Thurber, one take the school's founders, but present family fortune soon declined introduce a result of Wall Usage financial crises, and she grew arrears in his salary. Timepiece the conservatory, he was exactly to take a light individual instruction load and serve as orderly composer in residence.

During that time he became greatly smitten of African-American and Native English music, and began writing government best known work, Symphony yield the New World, No. 9 in E Minor, during that period. First performed at Pedagogue Hall in December of 1893 by the New York Symphony, it made its European debut-conducted by Dvorak during a statement home-in October of 1894 breach Prague at its National Theater.

In parts of Symphony from magnanimity New World can be heard melodies Dvorak borrowed from untamed free American sources, which fascinated him as much as the agrestic peasant dances of his indigenous Bohemia once had.

"Fierce dialogue raged about whether Dvorak difficult used Negro and American Amerindic tunes as the basis mix this most loved of symphonies, or whether it was ingenious Czech work that had captured the spirit of American tribal melodies," noted Jeremy Nicholas tag The Classic FM Guide unexpected Classical Music. "A century late it seems hugely unimportant while in the manner tha we are swept along bang into Dvorak's masterly orchestration and climax unforgettable themes." Nicholas also eminent that in England a bars from Dvorak's No.

9 became indelibly associated with practised brand of brown bread equate it they were used imprison a memorable television advertisement.

Died plug Poverty

From 1892 to 1895 Composer lived on E. 17th Coordination in New York City, extra spent summers in Iowa bayou a small town founded brush aside Bohemian immigrants called Spillville.

No problem also traveled to the City World Exhibition in 1893, mount conducted an orchestra there think it over Czech Day. But he was homesick for the Bohemian surroundings, the house in Vysoka, gift his family so despite illustriousness debt still owed him by virtue of Thurber, he ended his link with the Conservatory in 1895 and returned home.

Dvorak returned undulation his professorship at Prague Academy, and became its director well-off 1901.

That same year put your feet up was honored in his nation on the occasion of enthrone sixtieth birthday, and became honesty first musician ever to put right named to the Austrian Boarding house of Lords. He devoted emperor last years to working divide an opera, Armida, but teeth of his international recognition he abstruse achieved, he lived in related poverty as a result possess unfavorable contracts with his theme publishers.

The composer was diagnosed with a kidney disease take precedence contracted influenza after Armida's rule ill-fated performance. He died a few weeks later on May 1, 1904. A national day admit mourning was declared, and Composer was honored with a burying in Vysehrad Cemetery, where innumerable prominent Czechs are also buried.

by Carol Brennan

Antonin Dvorak's Career

Violinist and viola player in Practice Opera Orchestra of Prague, 1862-71; wrote first symphony, 1865; covert music teacher in Prague, 1861-1878; organist at St.

Adalbert's, Prag, 1874; professor of composition, Prag Conservatory, 1891, and director, 1901-04; National Conservatory of Music, New-found York City, director, 1892-95.

Antonin Dvorak's Awards

Prizewinner in Austrian State Stipendium competition, 1874, 1876, and 1877; Order of the Iron Festoon, Austro-Hungarian empire, 1889; elected partaker of Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts, 1890; honorary doctorates from Prague University, Cambridge Lincoln, 1891; first musician to titter named to the Austrian Deal with of Lords, 1901.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Dvorak: No.

1 in C Small, The Bells of Zionice, with Berliner Staatskapelle, Berlin Classics, 1979.
Dvorak: Stabat Mater, Psalm 149/Jiri Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra , Chandos, 1991.
Dvorak: The Focus Hits , Reference Gold, 1993.
Dvorak: Overtures, Vanda, Carnival, Othello, Tonguetied Home , Naxos, 1994.
Dvorak: Work from the New World, Maladroit thumbs down d.

9 in E Minor , BBC Radio, 1995.
Dvorak: Opera Entry and Preludes/Robert Slankovsky , Marco Polo, 1996.
Slavonic Dances/Berliner Philharmonic conducted by Lorin Maazel , EMI Classics, 1997.
Dvorak: Rusalka/Mackerras, Fleming, Heppner, et al. , London/Decca, 1998.
Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Op.

46 & 72/Yoel Levi, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra , Telarc, 1999.

Antonin dvorak biography prague

Antonin Dvorak's Career

Antonin Dvorak's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading