Antonin Dvorák

Born in Bohemia, Dvorak's career began in Prague where from 1862-73 he was a violist at the Czech national opera. Though he had composed from an early age, his popularity as a composer only arose in 1872 through his _Hymnus_ for mixed chorus and orchestra. He then became able to devote himself to composition, and, being both a hard-worker and a friend of Brahms, it only took a few years for him to gain worldwide fame with his _Moravian Duets_, the _Slavonic Dances_ and _Stabat Mater_.

It was during his greatly successful time in the United States that he discovered folk music as a source of national American music - just as his music had previously evoked such Slavic ethnicity, he now relished the prospect of capturing the spirit of America as well. Drawing on Afro-American and Native American music, his work, which was to have a significant influence on American music, resulted most famously in the _New World Symphony_, along with the _(American) Quartet op.96_ and the cantata _The American Flag_.

Works by Antonin Dvorak include:
_Symphony No.9 (From the New World)_ in E minor op.95 (1893)
_The Wood Dove (Die Waldtaube)_ op.110 (1896), symphonic poem
_Slavonic Dances_ op.46 and op.72 for piano duet, arranged for orchestra
_Cello Concerto_ in B minor op.104 (1895)