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The Story of Antonin Dvorak 1841-1904 Antonin Dvorak was born in 1841 in a small village, Nelahozeves, about twenty miles north of Prague, Czechoslovakia. He was the oldest of nine children. His father, an innkeeper and butcher, was not a trained musician, but liked to play the zither while the village people danced. As a young boy, Antonin joined in the dance music with his fiddle. Soon his musical ability became apparent, and after some instruction from his schoolmaster, Dvorak was playing for churches and in a village band. His father wanted him to become a butcher, and at the age of 11, he left school to learn the trade. A year later, he went back to school to study German. His German teacher, Liehman, was also the church organist. He taught Dvorak violin, viola, piano, organ and keyboard harmony. Antonin's uncle, with whom he was living, persuaded Dvorak's father to let him pursue a musical career. In 1857 at the Prague Organ School, Dvorak studied to become a church musician. Here he became acquainted with classical music. He carefully saved his money so that he could attend concerts of visiting artists such as Franz Liszt and Clara Schumann. After graduation, his first job was with a small band that played for dances and at restaurants. This band evolved into an orchestra that often played the nationalistic music of his country. Dvorak's great dream was to be a composer. During the years from 1865 to 1876 he wrote chamber music, symphonies, concertos, songs, operas, a quintet and a piano concerto. Struggling financially, he was relieved when in 1873 a wealthy merchant, Jan Neff, hired him to teach piano to his children and to accompany his wife, a singer. That same year Antonin married Anna Cermakova. Dvorak gradually became more famous as a composer and in 1874 he won a prize that was given to assist young and talented musicians. Johannes Brahms, one of the judges for the competition, took a real interest in Dvorak. Brahms encouraged the publisher Simrock to look at Dvorak's Slavonic Dances which were published in 1878. Brahms continued to help promote the compositions of this talented composer. In 1892, he traveled to America to become the Director of the National conservatory of Music. Dvorak was a simple, religious man who loved his family and his country. He liked to wander in the woods and forests of his native land, and liked to be with his peasant friends, playing cards and singing. In later years he received many awards and honors, including the gold medal that had been previously given only to Brahms. Throughout his life he called himself "a simple Czech musician." Prague honored him with a concert of his music for his 60th birthday. Three years later, he died quietly at his home there.