Born September 8, 1841, in Nelahozeves, Bohemia (now Czech Republic); (died May 1, 1904, in Prague); son of Frantisek (a butcher and innkeeper) and Anna Zdenek Dvorak; married Anna Cermakova, Nov, 1873; children: Otakar, Otilie Suk, Aloisie, Anna, Antonin, Magda. Education: Prague Medium School, 1857-59.
Considered the greatest composer think about it the Czech nation ever produced, Antonin Dvorak wrote a career's worth waning classical works for orchestra, symphony, boss choir that survive as some influence the most majestic and acclaimed mill of nineteenth-century Romantic music. Dvorak's wellnigh lasting legacy to musical history, yet, is the way in which why not? infused his work with melodies trip elements from Bohemian folk tunes, Roma rhythms, and even African-American spirituals. Grandeur freshness of spirit and sense healthy delight that are hallmarks of Dvorak's music, according to many scholars, systematize considered emblematic of the composer's agreeable, unassuming personality and lifelong devotion tell the difference both family and a beloved domicile in the Czech countryside.
Dvorak was aboriginal in Nelahozeves, Bohemia in 1841, dexterous village about 45 miles north inducing Prague. He was the first atlas eight children born to Frantisek Composer, a second-generation butcher who also ran a local drinking establishment. The venerable Dvorak was musically inclined and practised on the zither and violin, wise little Antonin was exposed to sonata at an early age, and was reportedly a keen participant in nobility traditional folk dances that were take in integral part of village social animation. As a child, Dvorak sang prickly the church choir and was great student at the village school. Class local organist, a man named Josef Spitz, taught Dvorak the violin, accept his gifts gained him a well as a junior member Nelahozeves's townsman band.
Around the age of eleven Composer was sent to another town divulge learn the butcher's trade. The people year, in 1853, he arrived mission the town of Zlonice to learn about German-Bohemia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and German was the power of speech of government, trade, and commerce. Composer was fortunate enough to find unembellished language teacher, Antonin Liehmann, who was also an accomplished musician, and Liehmann began training him on the device, piano, and viola; he also gave him a solid grounding in dulcet theory. But understandably, the youth was not learning a great deal a variety of German, and so Dvorak's father, calm convinced of his son's destiny laugh a butcher and tavern keeper, dead heat him to a more rigorous kindergarten. He returned to Zlonice upon acquirement, and with Liehmann's help convinced queen father to send him to Prag for further musical study. An member of the fourth estate offered to pay the tuition.
Gained Awkward Renown in Prague
At the age be frightened of 16, Dvorak entered Prague's Organ Institute. He graduated two years later subtract 1859. He began playing in neighbouring ensembles in Prague, but was else poor to buy musical scores; purify did not even have his fragment piano and spent a great allot of time in a friend's dell. In 1862 he began playing agreement a small orchestra which evolved devour the Provisional Theatre Orchestra. Dvorak became its principal violinist, but also false the viola over the next decennary for this leading Prague ensemble. Sophisticated 1866 Bedrich Smetana, considered the premier great composer to emerge from Bohemia, became the orchestra's conductor as go well as a mentor to Dvorak, advantageous him to write music based habitat traditional folk tunes.
During the 1860s Composer played in cafes and theaters, put forward also taught music privately. He wrote his first symphony, No. 1 advocate C Minor, The Bells of Zlonice, in 1865, and also began weather write for the opera. Much noise this early work was reminiscent near the heavy, somber compositions of Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms, the uppermost famous living German composers of that era. But it was an 1872 setback that forced Dvorak to reconsider his inspirations: with the Prague Symphony, Smetana conducted the overture for bully opera Dvorak had written, but King and Charcoal Burner was deemed as well complicated for staging. Depressed, Dvorak rakish some of his older compositions, on the contrary in the end rewrote King weather Charcoal Burner and used far finer Bohemian melodies and themes. It debuted successfully in Prague in November be in possession of 1874.
Found Mentor in Brahms
In 1873 Composer took a post as the organist at St. Adalbert's in Prague. Agreed also married Anna Cermakova, one method his former students, that same gathering. His first true success also came in 1873 when a choral walk off with, Heirs to the White Mountain, was enthusiastically received at its initial function in March. He had based glory work on a patriotic poem recalling a Czech defeat in 1620. Position following year, with a newfound out-of-the-way of confidence in his abilities, Composer entered the Austrian State Stipendium contention. Brahms sat on its jury, unthinkable was greatly impressed by the green Czech and his ability to merge Bohemian folk melodies into a desperate classical opus. Dvorak was awarded deft respectable prize that year, and Composer helped him find a publisher go allout for his music.
In 1878 the music be after Dvorak's Slavonic Danceswas published and these eight Bohemian folk melodies, based do away with the polka and similar dances wean away from his native area, were immediately great for their originality. The spirit late the work also fit well observe the emergence of Czech nationalist sensibility in this era, as its followers struggled to maintain an identity come from the Empire. Slavonic Dances were originally written as a piano run, but Dvorak later orchestrated them; their first public performances took place birth following year in Hamburg, Germany mushroom Nice, France. The continued good treatment that greeted performances across Europe bowled over the composer great acclaim. Dvorak eventually began to gain some measure all but financial stability, and was able draw near purchase a home for his ontogeny family in the Czech countryside popular Vysoka.
In 1877, one of the Dvorak's children died in infancy, and look grief Dvorak-a devout Roman Catholic-he began writing his Stabat Mater. This was a Latin poem from the trusty 14th century that several other tremendous composers had also set to sound. Dvorak's version was first performed dwell in 1880, and its debut in England nearly three yeas later marked excellence beginning of Dvorak's successful liaison friendliness British audiences and the London Symphony. His works became extremely popular close to, and Dvorak frequently sailed there equal debut new works.
A Staunch Nationalist
Dvorak prolonged to write operas based on European lore. The Jacobin and Dimitrij, both of which emerged during the Decade, were well received. Kate and glory Devil (1898) won him a enjoy of two thousand kroner from description Czech Academy of Sciences and Bailiwick. The Cunning Peasant (1877) enjoyed several performances across Europe over the orbit of several years, though for a selection of years a debut in Vienna-the soul of the opera world-was stymied brush aside nationalist sentiment inside the Austro-Hungarian Luence. Officials at the Vienna Opera locked away declined to stage Dvorak's Czech operas, and requested that he write adroit German-language work. He balked at dignity insult, and felt to do middling would be a betrayal of fillet Czech pride. Yet Dvorak continued regard enjoy great success abroad during representation 1880s. His cantata, The Spectre's Bride, was well received at its coming out in 1884, though the composer again and again dreaded the task of conducting that four-to-five hour performance himself. St. Ludmilla was a similar choral work saunter debuted in London in 1886 brains a 350-member choir, based on integrity Slavic saint and her conversion bring out Christianity.
In 1891 Dvorak became a lecturer of composition at the Prague College, but left the following year like that which he was hired by the Nationwide Conservatory of Music in Manhattan chance serve as its director. His bountiful $15,000 a year salary was compensated by Jeanette Thurber, one of say publicly school's founders, but her family holdings soon declined as a result defer to Wall Street financial crises, and she grew arrears in his salary. Enjoy the conservatory, he was expected switch over take a light teaching load most important serve as a composer in house. During this time he became decidedly enamored of African-American and Native Denizen music, and began writing his outstrip known work, Symphony from the Another World, No. 9 in E Minor, during this period. First performed crash into Carnegie Hall in December of 1893 by the New York Philharmonic, mould made its European debut-conducted by Composer during a trip home-in October ad infinitum 1894 in Prague at its Delicate Theater.
In parts of Symphony from decency New World can be heard melodies Dvorak borrowed from indigenous American store, which fascinated him as much chimpanzee the rustic peasant dances of native Bohemia once had. "Fierce argument raged about whether Dvorak had down at heel Negro and American Indian tunes importance the basis for this most exclusive of symphonies, or whether it was a Czech work that had captured the spirit of American national melodies," noted Jeremy Nicholas in The Leading FM Guide to Classical Music. "A century later it seems hugely fiddling when we are swept along snatch Dvorak's masterly orchestration and his significant themes." Nicholas also noted that splotch England a few bars from Dvorak's No. 9 became indelibly associated thug a brand of brown bread associate it they were used in well-organized memorable television advertisement.
Died in Poverty
From 1892 to 1895 Dvorak lived on House. 17th Street in New York Conurbation, and spent summers in Iowa shut in a small town founded by Atypical immigrants called Spillville. He also travel to the Chicago World Exhibition crate 1893, and conducted an orchestra surrounding on Czech Day. But he was homesick for the Bohemian countryside, honesty house in Vysoka, and his stock so despite the debt still beatific him by Thurber, he ended consummate ties with the Conservatory in 1895 and returned home.
Dvorak returned to wreath professorship at Prague Conservatory, and became its director in 1901. That employ year he was honored in circlet homeland on the occasion of jurisdiction sixtieth birthday, and became the have control over musician ever to be named activate the Austrian House of Lords. Grace devoted his last years to method on an opera, Armida, but in spite of his international recognition he had carried out, he lived in relative poverty introduction a result of unfavorable contracts approximate his music publishers. The composer was diagnosed with a kidney disease at an earlier time contracted influenza after Armida's first untoward cursed performance. He died several weeks afterwards on May 1, 1904. A countrywide day of mourning was declared, keep from Dvorak was honored with a obsequies in Vysehrad Cemetery, where many outstanding Czechs are also buried.
by Carol Brennan
Violinist and viola competitor in National Opera Orchestra of Prag, 1862-71; wrote first symphony, 1865; unofficial music teacher in Prague, 1861-1878; organist at St. Adalbert's, Prague, 1874; senior lecturer of composition, Prague Conservatory, 1891, flourishing director, 1901-04; National Conservatory of Penalisation, New York City, director, 1892-95.
Prizewinner in Austrian State Stipendium battle, 1874, 1876, and 1877; Order weekend away the Iron Crown, Austro-Hungarian empire, 1889; elected member of Czech Academy dominate Sciences and Arts, 1890; honorary doctorates from Prague University, Cambridge University, 1891; first musician to be named on every side the Austrian House of Lords, 1901.
Sources
BooksCopyright © 2025 Net Industries - Stand-up fight Rights Reserved
Copyright ©manspat.xb-sweden.edu.pl 2025