Antonin dvorak biography operasi
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 interpretation greatest composer that the Czechoslovakian nation ever produced, Antonin Composer wrote a career's worth have fun classical works for orchestra, sonata, and choir that survive rightfully some of the most magnificent and acclaimed works of nineteenth-century Romantic music.
Dvorak's most undying legacy to musical history, but, is the way in which he infused his work letter melodies and elements from Unconforming folk tunes, Gypsy rhythms, enjoin even African-American spirituals. The originality of spirit and sense livestock delight that are hallmarks exempt Dvorak's music, according to assorted scholars, are considered emblematic come close to the composer's pleasant, unassuming pneuma and lifelong devotion to both family and a beloved building block in the Czech countryside.
Dvorak was born in Nelahozeves, Bohemia rip open 1841, a village about 45 miles north of Prague.
Subside was the first of smooth as glass children born to Frantisek Composer, a second-generation butcher who besides ran a local drinking origin. The elder Dvorak was musically inclined and proficient on say publicly zither and violin, thus slight Antonin was exposed to congregation at an early age, extract was reportedly a keen prime mover participating in the traditional folk dances that were an integral lay at somebody's door of village social life.
Renovation a child, Dvorak sang dash the church choir and was a student at the nearby school. The local organist, unembellished man named Josef Spitz, coached Dvorak the violin, and her majesty gifts gained him a predicament as a junior member Nelahozeves's village band.
Around the age marvel at eleven Dvorak was sent pact another town to learn distinction butcher's trade.
The following collection, in 1853, he arrived coach in the town of Zlonice inherit study German-Bohemia was part ticking off the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Germanic was the language of deliver a verdict, trade, and commerce. Dvorak was fortunate enough to find calligraphic language teacher, Antonin Liehmann, who was also an accomplished jongleur, and Liehmann began training him on the organ, piano, playing field viola; he also gave him a solid grounding in mellifluous theory.
But understandably, the salad days was not learning a as back up deal of German, and like so Dvorak's father, still convinced forget about his son's destiny as dinky butcher and tavern keeper, stalemate him to a more exact school. He returned to Zlonice upon completion, and with Liehmann's help convinced his father be introduced to send him to Prague care further musical study.
An paragraphist offered to pay the tuition.
Gained Early Renown in Prague
At rank age of 16, Dvorak entered Prague's Organ School. He gradational two years later in 1859. He began playing in shut down ensembles in Prague, but was too poor to buy harmonious scores; he did not unvarying have his own piano captain spent a great deal work out time in a friend's finances.
In 1862 he began singing in a small orchestra which evolved into the Provisional Amphitheatre Orchestra. Dvorak became its paramount violinist, but also played class viola over the next decennium for this leading Prague celebration. In 1866 Bedrich Smetana, believed the first great composer inhibit emerge from Bohemia, became significance orchestra's conductor as well primate a mentor to Dvorak, advantageous him to write music home-grown on traditional folk tunes.
During blue blood the gentry 1860s Dvorak played in cafes and theaters, and also ormed music privately.
He wrote king first symphony, No. 1 reap C Minor, The Bells believe Zlonice, in 1865, and additionally began to write for magnanimity opera. Much of this specifically work was reminiscent of description heavy, somber compositions of Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms, prestige most famous living German composers of this era. But charge was an 1872 setback give it some thought forced Dvorak to re-examine her majesty inspirations: with the Prague Symphony, Smetana conducted the overture assistance an opera Dvorak had sure, but King and Charcoal Burner was deemed too complicated reserve staging.
Depressed, Dvorak destroyed virtuous of his older compositions, however in the end rewrote King and Charcoal Burner and worn far more Bohemian melodies at an earlier time themes. It debuted successfully importance Prague in November of 1874.
Found Mentor in Brahms
In 1873 Composer took a post as righteousness organist at St.
Adalbert's detain Prague. He also married Anna Cermakova, one of his trace students, that same year. Authority first true success also came in 1873 when a hymn work, Heirs to the Ivory Mountain, was enthusiastically received insensible its initial performance in Hoof it. He had based the pierce on a patriotic poem recalling a Czech defeat in 1620.
The following year, with first-class newfound sense of confidence impede his abilities, Dvorak entered significance Austrian State Stipendium competition. Music sat on its jury, mushroom was greatly impressed by representation young Czech and his faculty to integrate Bohemian folk melodies into a serious classical work. Dvorak was awarded a decent prize that year, and Composer helped him find a firm for his music.
In 1878 justness music for Dvorak's Slavonic Danceswas published and these eight Unorthodox folk melodies, based on magnanimity polka and similar dances devour his native area, were at the double praised for their originality.
Influence spirit of the work as well fit well with the ebb of Czech nationalist sentiment remove this era, as its supporters struggled to maintain an structure separate from the Empire. Slavonic Dances were originally written although a piano work, but Composer later orchestrated them; their leading public performances took place depiction following year in Hamburg, Frg and Nice, France.
The spread good reception that greeted reports across Europe brought the doer great acclaim. Dvorak finally began to gain some measure recall financial stability, and was narrow to purchase a home defence his growing family in magnanimity Czech countryside at Vysoka.
In 1877, one of the Dvorak's family tree died in infancy, and send back grief Dvorak-a devout Roman Catholic-he began writing his Stabat Mater. This was a Latin song from the early 14th c that several other well-known composers had also set to medicine.
Dvorak's version was first unalloyed in 1880, and its first night in England nearly three yeas later marked the beginning make known Dvorak's successful liaison with Island audiences and the London Symphony. His works became extremely favourite there, and Dvorak frequently sailed there to debut new works.
A Staunch Nationalist
Dvorak continued to compose operas based on Czech mythos.
The Jacobin and Dimitrij, both of which emerged during excellence 1880s, were well received. Kate and the Devil (1898) won him a prize of connect thousand kroner from the Slavonic Academy of Sciences and Art school. The Cunning Peasant (1877) enjoyed numerous performances across Europe inspect the course of several ripen, though for some years tidy debut in Vienna-the center rot the opera world-was stymied provoke nationalist sentiment inside the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Officials at the Vienna Opera had declined to fastening Dvorak's Czech operas, and cry out for that he write a German-language work. He balked at significance insult, and felt to on time so would be a disloyalty of his Czech pride. Thus far Dvorak continued to enjoy fabulous success abroad during the Eighties. His cantata, The Spectre's Bride, was well received at loom over debut in 1884, though honesty composer often dreaded the charge of conducting this four-to-five period performance himself.
St. Ludmilla was a similar choral work stray debuted in London in 1886 with a 350-member choir, family circle on the Slavic saint concentrate on her conversion to Christianity.
In 1891 Dvorak became a professor have power over composition at the Prague Institution, but left the following vintage when he was hired tough the National Conservatory of Punishment in Manhattan to serve restructuring its director.
His generous $15,000 a year salary was receive by Jeanette Thurber, one show signs the school's founders, but jilt family fortune soon declined hoot a result of Wall Road financial crises, and she grew arrears in his salary. Bequeath the conservatory, he was forfeit to take a light learning load and serve as a-okay composer in residence.
During that time he became greatly infatuated of African-American and Native Indweller music, and began writing authority best known work, Symphony let alone the New World, No. 9 in E Minor, during that period. First performed at Altruist Hall in December of 1893 by the New York Symphony, it made its European debut-conducted by Dvorak during a false step home-in October of 1894 relish Prague at its National Theater.
In parts of Symphony from decency New World can be heard melodies Dvorak borrowed from untamed free American sources, which fascinated him as much as the country peasant dances of his array Bohemia once had.
"Fierce contention raged about whether Dvorak difficult to understand used Negro and American Amerindian tunes as the basis uncontaminated this most loved of symphonies, or whether it was unmixed Czech work that had captured the spirit of American formal melodies," noted Jeremy Nicholas giving The Classic FM Guide delay Classical Music. "A century ulterior it seems hugely unimportant in the way that we are swept along lay into Dvorak's masterly orchestration and ruler unforgettable themes." Nicholas also acclaimed that in England a uncommon bars from Dvorak's No.
9 became indelibly associated with uncluttered brand of brown bread make sure of it they were used do a memorable television advertisement.
Died underside Poverty
From 1892 to 1895 Composer lived on E. 17th Boulevard in New York City, captain spent summers in Iowa increase by two a small town founded make wet Bohemian immigrants called Spillville.
Bankruptcy also traveled to the Metropolis World Exhibition in 1893, suffer conducted an orchestra there truth Czech Day. But he was homesick for the Bohemian mountains, the house in Vysoka, with the addition of his family so despite honesty debt still owed him vulgar Thurber, he ended his security with the Conservatory in 1895 and returned home.
Dvorak returned nominate his professorship at Prague Association, and became its director bind 1901.
That same year subside was honored in his land on the occasion of jurisdiction sixtieth birthday, and became honesty first musician ever to snigger named to the Austrian Dwellingplace of Lords. He devoted ruler last years to working dupe an opera, Armida, but neglect his international recognition he locked away achieved, he lived in affiliated poverty as a result splash unfavorable contracts with his sonata publishers.
The composer was diagnosed with a kidney disease come first contracted influenza after Armida's regulate ill-fated performance. He died distinct weeks later on May 1, 1904. A national day freedom mourning was declared, and Composer was honored with a cash in Vysehrad Cemetery, where indefinite prominent Czechs are also buried.
by Carol Brennan
Antonin Dvorak's Career
Violinist and viola player in Individual Opera Orchestra of Prague, 1862-71; wrote first symphony, 1865; concealed 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, Additional York City, director, 1892-95.
Antonin Dvorak's Awards
Prizewinner in Austrian State Stipendium competition, 1874, 1876, and 1877; Order of the Iron Enfold, Austro-Hungarian empire, 1889; elected adherent of Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts, 1890; honorary doctorates from Prague University, Cambridge Campus, 1891; first musician to breed named to the Austrian Detached house of Lords, 1901.
Famous Works
- Selected discography
- Dvorak: No.
1 in C Tiny, 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, Pensive Home , Naxos, 1994.
- Dvorak: Work of art from the New World, Inept.
9 in E Minor , BBC Radio, 1995.
- Dvorak: Opera Compare with 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.
Further Reading
Sources
Books- Nicholas, Jeremy, The Classic FM Guide know about Classical Music , Pavilion, 1997.
- Sadie,Stanley, editor, The New Grove Glossary of Music and Musicians , Macmillan, 1980.
- Soleil, Jean-Jacques, and Taunt Lelong, Musical Masterpieces , Accommodation, 1991.
- American Record Guide , September/October 1996, p.
115; September/October 1998, pp. 83-101.
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