Success did not come easily for Dvorak. His father, although a talented amateur, felt that music was to be pursued only as a hobby and never a vocation. He wanted Antonin to join the family business and opposed his desire for a musical career. However, with an uncle’s financial help, the young Dvorak enrolled in the Prague Organ School at the age of 16. When this monetary aid soon came to an end, Dvorak was forced to make a living playing the piano in small cafes. In 1862 he obtained a minor position with the National Opera and worked unknown for nearly 15 years until Brahms, who had discovered his music a few years before, heard and championed Airs From Moravia. With Brahms’ help, Dvorak received a commission for a set of Slavonic dances that brought him instant fame. Within three years he was known all over Europe and at the time of his death in 1904 he was probably one of the world’s most famous composers.
Dvorak’s earliest work reflects the influence of Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven, but during his tenure at the National Opera he was highly influenced by the great Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. Incorporating folk idioms of his native Bohemia into his work without quoting existing melodies, Dvorak would become one of the greatest nationalistic composers. Perhaps his most important compositional trait was his seemingly effortless ability to produce original melodies of great charm, beauty, and freshness.
He was prolific and composed successfully in virtually every musical genre. His chamber music includes 14 string quartets, a piano quintet, a string sextet, a string trio, and a number of miscellaneous works.
-- Kendall Briggs