Born:
September 8, 1841 - Nelahozeves, nr Kralupy
Died:
May 1, 1904 – Prague
Dvorak Quick Facts:
- Johannes Brahms once wrote a letter praising and exulting Dvorak’s music; they later became great friends.
- After moving to America in 1892, Dvorak spent his summer vacation in the small town of Spillville, Iowa in 1893, because of it’s mainly Czech population.
- Dvorak’s greatest musical success was achieved by the world premier of his New World Symphony in Carnegie Hall on December 3, 1893.
Dvorak's Family Background:
Dvorak’s
father, Frantisek was a butcher and an innkeeper. He played the zither
for fun and entertainment, but later played it professionally. His
mother, Anna, came from Uhy. Antonin Dvorak was the oldest of eight
children.
Childhood Years:
In 1847,
Dvorak began taking voice and violin lessons from Joseph Spitz. Dvorak
took to the violin quickly and soon began playing in church and village
bands. In 1853, Dvorak’s parents sent him to Zlonice to continue his
education in learning German as well as music. Joseph Toman and Antonin
Leihmann continued to teach Dvorak violin, voice, organ, piano, and
music theory.
Teenage Years:
In 1857,
Dvorak moved to the Prague Organ School where he continued to study
music theory, harmonization, modulation, improvisation, and counterpoint
and fugue. During this time, Dvorak played the viola in the Cecilia
Society. He played works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and
Wagner. While in Prague, Dvorak was able to attend concerts playing
works by Liszt conducted by Liszt himself. Dvorak left the school in
1859. He was second in his class.
Early Adult Years:
In
the later summer months of 1859, Dvorak was hired to play viola in a
small band, which later became the building blocks of the Provisional
Theater Orchestra. When the orchestra formed, Dvorak became the
principal violinist. In 1865, Dvorak taught piano to the daughters of a
goldsmith; one of whom later became his wife (Anna Cermakova). It
wasn’t until 1871 when Dvorak left the theater. During these years,
Dvorak was privately composing.
Mid Adult Years:
Because
his early works were too demanding on the artists who performed them,
Dvorak evaluated and revamped his work. He turned away from his heavy
Germanic style to a more classic Slavonic, stream-line form. Besides
teaching piano, Dvorak applied to the Austrian State Stipendium as a
mean for income. In 1877, Brahms, very much impressed by Dvorak’s works,
was on the panel of judges who awarded him 400 guldens. A letter
written by Brahms about Dvorak’s music brought Dvorak much fame.
Late Adult Years:
During
the last 20 years of Dvorak’s life, his music and name became
internationally known. Dvorak earned many honors, awards, and honorary
doctorates. In 1892, Dvorak moved to America to work as the artistic
director for the National Conservatory of Music in New York for $15,000
(nearly 25 times what he was earning in Prague). His first performance
was given in Carnegie Hall (the premiere of Te Deum). Dvorak’s New World Symphony was written in America. On May 1, 1904, Dvorak died of illness.
Selected Works by Dvorak:
Symphony
- Symphony No. 1, c minor - 1865
- Symphony No. 2, B flat Major - 1865
- Symphony No. 3, E flat Major - 1873
- Symphony No. 4, d minor - 1874
- Symphony No. 5, F Major - 1875
- Symphony No. 6, D Major - 1880
- Symphony No. 7, d minor - 1885
- Symphony No. 8, G Major - 1889
- Symphony No. 9, New World Symphony, e minor - 1893
- Mass in D Major - 1887
- Te Deum - 1892
- Requiem - 1890
