Antonín Dvořák was one of the great composers of the Romantic era and is celebrated today as a national hero of Czech music. He was born on 8 September 1841 in the small village of Nelahozeves, near Prague, the eldest of nine children. His father was an innkeeper and butcher, and at first it was expected that young Antonín would follow in the family trade. But his musical talent quickly became undeniable: he showed an early gift for the violin and, with encouragement from a local teacher, was eventually sent to Prague to study at the Organ School.

Life in Prague was not always easy, and Dvořák initially supported himself as a violist in theatre orchestras. For a time, he even played under the baton of Bedřich Smetana, who would later become a leading figure in Czech music. In the 1870s, Dvořák’s fortunes began to change: he submitted some of his works to a competition in Vienna and caught the attention of Johannes Brahms, who became both a supporter and a friend. With Brahms’s recommendation, Dvořák’s music was introduced to the publisher Fritz Simrock, bringing his compositions to a much wider European audience.

Dvořák’s music is remarkable for its ability to sound both deeply personal and universally appealing. He had a gift for melody and rhythm, often drawing on the folk dances and songs of Bohemia and Moravia. Works such as his Slavonic Dances captured this national spirit and helped establish him as a leading voice in Romantic music. Yet he was equally at home writing symphonies, string quartets, operas, and sacred works.

Perhaps his most famous composition is the Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”, written in 1893 during his time in the United States. Dvořák had been invited to serve as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, where he taught and mentored a generation of American musicians. He was fascinated by the idea that the United States should create its own national musical style, and he believed that inspiration should come from Native American melodies and African American spirituals. While the New World Symphony is not a direct quotation of such music, its rhythmic vitality and sweeping themes reflect the influence of what he heard during his stay.

Despite his international success, Dvořák remained at heart a modest and deeply Czech figure. He was devoted to his family, loved the countryside, and never lost his boyhood passion for trains—he was famous for memorizing railway timetables and could often be found standing on station platforms watching locomotives pass by.

Dvořák returned permanently to Prague in 1895 and spent his final years composing operas and chamber music, as well as teaching at the Prague Conservatory. He died on 1 May 1904, aged 62, and was buried in Vyšehrad Cemetery, the resting place of many Czech cultural figures.

Today, Dvořák is remembered not only for the sheer beauty of his music but also for his ability to bridge worlds: between folk and classical traditions, between the Old World and the New, and between national identity and universal expression. His works, from the lyrical Songs My Mother Taught Me to the majestic New World Symphony, continue to resonate with audiences around the globe.

You may not know...

Railway Enthusiast: Dvořák loved trains so much that he memorized timetables and often spent hours at stations watching locomotives.

Musical Nationalism: He played a key role in shaping Czech national identity through music, incorporating Bohemian and Moravian folk rhythms and dances.

Unexpected Fame: For many years he struggled financially, supporting himself as an organist and teacher before his music gained international recognition thanks to Johannes Brahms, who recommended him to publishers.