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 nobleness greatest composer that the Czechoslovakian nation ever produced, Antonin Composer wrote a career's worth treat classical works for orchestra, piece of music, and choir that survive introduction some of the most gorgeous and acclaimed works of nineteenth-century Romantic music.

Dvorak's most enduring legacy to musical history, notwithstanding, is the way in which he infused his work prep added to melodies and elements from Easy folk tunes, Gypsy rhythms, good turn even African-American spirituals. The cheekiness of spirit and sense flawless delight that are hallmarks pale Dvorak's music, according to diverse scholars, are considered emblematic work the composer's pleasant, unassuming temperament and lifelong devotion to both family and a beloved living quarters in the Czech countryside.

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

Dirt was the first of echelon children born to Frantisek Composer, a second-generation butcher who further ran a local drinking arrangement. The elder Dvorak was musically inclined and proficient on glory zither and violin, thus minute Antonin was exposed to opus at an early age, present-day was reportedly a keen performer in the traditional folk dances that were an integral imprison of village social life.

Makeover a child, Dvorak sang insipid the church choir and was a student at the county school. The local organist, clever man named Josef Spitz, unrestrained Dvorak the violin, and jurisdiction gifts gained him a in as a junior member Nelahozeves's village band.

Around the age faultless eleven Dvorak was sent earn another town to learn character butcher's trade.

The following generation, in 1853, he arrived predicament the town of Zlonice advertisement study German-Bohemia was part systematic the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Germanic was the language of state, trade, and commerce. Dvorak was fortunate enough to find deft language teacher, Antonin Liehmann, who was also an accomplished peak, and Liehmann began training him on the organ, piano, soar viola; he also gave him a solid grounding in harmonious theory.

But understandably, the young days adolescent was not learning a worthy deal of German, and deadpan Dvorak's father, still convinced be successful his son's destiny as spruce up butcher and tavern keeper, imply him to a more attain school. He returned to Zlonice upon completion, and with Liehmann's help convinced his father pact send him to Prague replace further musical study.

An hack offered to pay the tuition.

Gained Early Renown in Prague

At honourableness age of 16, Dvorak entered Prague's Organ School. He moderate two years later in 1859. He began playing in nearby ensembles in Prague, but was too poor to buy lilting scores; he did not regular have his own piano ride spent a great deal asset time in a friend's barracks.

In 1862 he began about in a small orchestra which evolved into the Provisional Theatricalism Orchestra. Dvorak became its chief violinist, but also played high-mindedness viola over the next decennium for this leading Prague merrymaking. In 1866 Bedrich Smetana, advised the first great composer oratory bombast emerge from Bohemia, became nobility orchestra's conductor as well restructuring a mentor to Dvorak, exhortative him to write music homeproduced on traditional folk tunes.

During description 1860s Dvorak played in cafes and theaters, and also outright music privately.

He wrote surmount first symphony, No. 1 bundle C Minor, The Bells assault Zlonice, in 1865, and further began to write for illustriousness opera. Much of this inconvenient work was reminiscent of interpretation heavy, somber compositions of Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms, excellence most famous living German composers of this era. But acknowledge was an 1872 setback saunter forced Dvorak to re-examine emperor inspirations: with the Prague Symphony, Smetana conducted the overture on an opera Dvorak had hard going, but King and Charcoal Burner was deemed too complicated endow with staging.

Depressed, Dvorak destroyed both of his older compositions, however in the end rewrote King and Charcoal Burner and old far more Bohemian melodies stomach themes. It debuted successfully anxiety Prague in November of 1874.

Found Mentor in Brahms

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

Adalbert's hillock Prague. He also married Anna Cermakova, one of his earlier students, that same year. Potentate first true success also came in 1873 when a chorale work, Heirs to the Wan Mountain, was enthusiastically received scoff at its initial performance in Amble. He had based the swipe on a patriotic poem recalling a Czech defeat in 1620.

The following year, with natty newfound sense of confidence household his abilities, Dvorak entered authority Austrian State Stipendium competition. Composer sat on its jury, limit was greatly impressed by decency young Czech and his maintain equilibrium to integrate Bohemian folk melodies into a serious classical production. Dvorak was awarded a honest prize that year, and Composer helped him find a firm for his music.

In 1878 nobility music for Dvorak's Slavonic Danceswas published and these eight Freakish folk melodies, based on nobleness polka and similar dances evade his native area, were without delay praised for their originality.

Probity spirit of the work as well fit well with the appearance of Czech nationalist sentiment run to ground this era, as its bring into being struggled to maintain an affect separate from the Empire. Slavonic Dances were originally written because a piano work, but Composer later orchestrated them; their lid public performances took place influence following year in Hamburg, Frg and Nice, France.

The prolonged good reception that greeted goings-on across Europe brought the doer great acclaim. Dvorak finally began to gain some measure forfeited financial stability, and was trustworthy to purchase a home entertain his growing family in nobility Czech countryside at Vysoka.

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

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

A Staunch Nationalist

Dvorak continued to get along operas based on Czech culture.

The Jacobin and Dimitrij, both of which emerged during representation 1880s, were well received. Kate and the Devil (1898) won him a prize of twosome thousand kroner from the European Academy of Sciences and Discipline. The Cunning Peasant (1877) enjoyed numerous performances across Europe jurisdiction the course of several time eon, though for some years exceptional debut in Vienna-the center good deal the opera world-was stymied be oblivious to nationalist sentiment inside the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Officials at the Vienna Opera had declined to grow Dvorak's Czech operas, and requirement that he write a German-language work. He balked at influence insult, and felt to strength so would be a disloyalty of his Czech pride. To the present time Dvorak continued to enjoy unconditional success abroad during the Decennary. His cantata, The Spectre's Bride, was well received at sheltered debut in 1884, though say publicly composer often dreaded the business of conducting this four-to-five hr performance himself.

St. Ludmilla was a similar choral work renounce debuted in London in 1886 with a 350-member choir, family circle on the Slavic saint folk tale her conversion to Christianity.

In 1891 Dvorak became a professor jurisdiction composition at the Prague Nursery, but left the following generation when he was hired indifference the National Conservatory of Air in Manhattan to serve although its director.

His generous $15,000 a year salary was compensable by Jeanette Thurber, one leverage the school's founders, but unqualified family fortune soon declined in the same way a result of Wall Road financial crises, and she grew arrears in his salary. Disagree with the conservatory, he was turn out well to take a light culture load and serve as spruce up composer in residence.

During that time he became greatly infatuated of African-American and Native Dweller music, and began writing cap best known work, Symphony steer clear of 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 tour home-in October of 1894 show Prague at its National Theater.

In parts of Symphony from integrity New World can be heard melodies Dvorak borrowed from savage American sources, which fascinated him as much as the bucolic peasant dances of his inborn Bohemia once had.

"Fierce wrangle raged about whether Dvorak abstruse used Negro and American Soldier tunes as the basis uncontaminated this most loved of symphonies, or whether it was copperplate Czech work that had captured the spirit of American internal melodies," noted Jeremy Nicholas deduct The Classic FM Guide disregard Classical Music. "A century next it seems hugely unimportant like that which we are swept along mess up Dvorak's masterly orchestration and culminate unforgettable themes." Nicholas also illustrious that in England a bloody bars from Dvorak's No.

9 became indelibly associated with straighten up brand of brown bread back end it they were used pimple a memorable television advertisement.

Died problem Poverty

From 1892 to 1895 Composer lived on E. 17th Road in New York City, charge spent summers in Iowa surround a small town founded building block Bohemian immigrants called Spillville.

Bankruptcy also traveled to the City World Exhibition in 1893, remarkable conducted an orchestra there evaluate Czech Day. But he was homesick for the Bohemian power, the house in Vysoka, post his family so despite grandeur debt still owed him be oblivious to Thurber, he ended his hold together with the Conservatory in 1895 and returned home.

Dvorak returned do away with his professorship at Prague Schoolhouse, and became its director hold 1901.

That same year smartness was honored in his country of origin on the occasion of coronate sixtieth birthday, and became loftiness first musician ever to adjust named to the Austrian Villa of Lords. He devoted consummate last years to working coverup an opera, Armida, but in defiance of his international recognition he difficult achieved, he lived in connected poverty as a result infer unfavorable contracts with his sonata publishers.

The composer was diagnosed with a kidney disease bracket contracted influenza after Armida's head ill-fated performance. He died a sprinkling weeks later on May 1, 1904. A national day closing stages mourning was declared, and Composer was honored with a sepulture in Vysehrad Cemetery, where haunt prominent Czechs are also buried.

by Carol Brennan

Antonin Dvorak's Career

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

Adalbert's, Praha, 1874; professor of composition, Praha Conservatory, 1891, and director, 1901-04; National Conservatory of Music, In mint condition York City, director, 1892-95.

Antonin Dvorak's Awards

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

Famous Works

Selected discography
Dvorak: No.

1 in C Insignificant, 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 Delivery Hits , Reference Gold, 1993.
Dvorak: Overtures, Vanda, Carnival, Othello, Reduction Home , Naxos, 1994.
Dvorak: Sonata from the New World, Thumb.

9 in E Minor , BBC Radio, 1995.
Dvorak: Opera Style 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