Antonín Dvořák

Antonín Dvořák was born in the Czech lands.

He decided to become a composer after hearing the music of Bedřich Smetana. He began his musical career as a cellist at the Prague Theatre, where Smetana served as conductor. In 1873, he left the orchestra to focus on composition and, within a year, wrote his Third Symphony, which won the Austrian State Prize. He worked in Prague, Cambridge, and New York, returning to his homeland in 1895. His patriotic cantata "Hymn" and his "Slavonic Dances" brought him worldwide fame. His operas form the core of the Czech national opera repertoire. Antonín Dvořák—the composer of nine symphonies, ten operas, five symphonic poems, five overtures, a violin concerto, and an oratorio—passed away in 1904.