Antonin Leopold Dvorak Essay - 862 Words

Antonin Leopold Dvorak Looking back in time at the great composers of the world, only one foreign composer stands out for his many contributions to classical music and in helping America to find its own music. Antonin Leopold Dvorak was born on September 8th, 1841, in a small village of Nelahozeves in Bohemia that lies on the bank of the Mauldau River. The village Dvorak was born into was in good company and surroundings however also retained much of its native luster even through the worst times of political oppression (1). Dvorak grew up around much political discussion within his father’s Inn, however he was never interested in politics, he was more interested in crops just as the other sensible folk in his village. When Dvorak†¦show more content†¦Jacob’s Church. At the age of sixteen, Dvorak was sent off again, this time to the Organ School in Prague, which in 1890 was absorbed into the Prague Conservatory of Music. After Dvorak left the Organ School in 1859, he basically disappeared from the public eye for twelve years until 1871, which is when he emerged back into the public as a composer. For those twelve years he spent in seclusion, he was occupied with extensive writing in the classical form (8). To much grief and disappointment Dvorak’s first son died in September and his second daughter in October of 1877. These tragic losses were experienced within his grandiose oratorio â€Å"Stabat Mater.† For the next twenty years, Dvorak was invited to other European countries to conduct performances of his own works while enduring a struggling relationship with his publisher Hitherto Simrock (7). In the spring of 1891 Dvorak received a telegram from Vienna inquiring that he accept an important job offer in New York, however he showed no interest. When he later received more details and then finally a contract he was more convinced. He would teach for three hours a day, prepare four student’s concerts, conduct six concerts of h is own music in American towns, have a four month vacation and be paid $15,000 yearly (4). At first he wanted to accept the concert engagements but decline the directorship, however this did not suit Mrs. Thurber, who is the owner of the NationalShow MoreRelatedThe Contribution Of Antonin Dvo ?ï ¿ ½ Ak ( 1841-1904 )2354 Words   |  10 PagesAntonà ­n Dvořà ¡k (1841–1904) was one of the most versatile and prolific composers of the nineteenth century, reaching into almost all genres of music from piano miniatures to comprehensively conceived vocal-orchestra compositions. His output encompasses nine symphonies and fifty-five other orchestral pieces, eleven opera, eleven works for chorus and orchestra, nine small choral works, thirty-five sets of songs and duets, fifty-five chamber works for various combinations of instruments, and thirty-two