Antonín Dvořák – timeline

Antonín Dvořák 8 September 1841 Antonín Dvořák was born in Nelahozeves 2018 1853 1853 – 56 Dvořák and his family lived in Zlonice, where he met his tutor, Antonín Liehmann.
He taught Dvořák the basics of music theory, the violin, piano, and organ. 1841 1857 1857 – 1859 Dvořák studies at the organ school
in Prague 1856 1862 18 November 1862 Dvořák begins his engagement in the Provisional Theatre Orchestra. He played the viola, from 1866 under the baton of Bedřich Smetana, and thus performed in the premieres of his operas
(e.g. The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, The Bartered Bride, and also in Dalibor marking the laying of the foundation stone of the National Theatre). 1859 1864 1864 He begins to visit the Čermák family to give piano lessons to Josefina and Anna, his future wife. 1862 1871 10 December 1871 Dvořák’s first known performance of an independent composition, the song Remembering (Vzpomínání) with lyrics by Eliška Krásnohorská 1864 1873 17 November 1873 Dvořák married Anna Čermáková 1871 1877 1877 On the occasion of the wedding of Josefina Čermáková and Count Václav Kounic, Dvořák and his wife were invited to the chateau in Vysoká for the first time. Dvořák was the best man of Václav Kounic and the wedding took place in the church in Třebsko. During the summer months, Dvořák and his family visited Vysoká several times. They stayed in the adjacent building, the so-called courtyard. 1873 1878 17 November 1878 Dvořák's first solo concert (the programme consisted of Serenade in D minor,
Slavonic Rhapsodies I and II,
Three Modern Greece Poems, Two Furiants) 1877 1878 1878 Dvořák composes the first series of Slavonic Dances for Simrock (a major music publisher from Berlin). These works are published on the recommendation of J. Brahms and received with great acceptance. Brahms and Dvořák remained friends for many years until Brahms' death. 1878 1884 1884 – 1896 Tours to England. Dvořák visited England nine times in total, and the financial success of the first tour (together with additional royalties from published works) enabled him to buy a farmhouse (a granary and a sheep shed) on the land of his brother-in-law, Count Kounic. 1878 1884 1884 In Vysoká, Dvořák purchased an old granary, which was rebuilt into a house and became the summer residence of the Dvořák family. Except for one summer which they spent in Spillville, they would come to Vysoká in May and return to their apartment in Prague only in early autumn. Dvořák engaged in gardening, fruit growing, and pigeon breeding. He was also very fond of walking in nature and composing. 1884 1892 1892 Journey to New York. Dvořák's American period inspired the compositions of many works. Although he was very successful and almost enthusiastically welcomed everywhere, the letters he wrote to his children are full of memories of Vysoká. He also urges his estate caretakers to look after their residence well.

“I am very much looking forward to seeing you. God willing, I will never leave Vysoká again.”
“As you are having such dry weather there, please tell me how our little trees have grown, especially the spruces in the back, and whether the fruit trees are thriving, and how our garden looks like. And what about the pigeons? Do you feed them a lot? If there are pretty little pigeons, they need a lot of flying.” September 1884 1894 1894 A new organ was purchased for the church in Třebsko. Dvořák admired the nature and landscape surrounding Vysoká. He would get up early in the morning and go for walks, he even used to walk to the nearby church in Třebsko for morning mass and to play religious songs on the organ. He bought a new organ for the church, which was consecrated on Dvořák's birthday (8 September 1894). In 1953, however, the organ was destroyed in a fire. 1892 1901 1901 Dvořák was portrayed by Max Švabinský January 1894 1901 31 March 1901 The premiere of Rusalka, a work closely connected to Vysoká and its surroundings, takes place in Prague. When he was composing the opera, Dvořák is said to be inspired by Rusalka’s pond, which is located in the woods near the chateau. The name Rusalka was given also to the villa, the summer residence in Vysoká, which is still in the possession of the Dvořák family. 1901 1904 1 May 1904 Shortly after noon, Antonín Dvořák dies, saying: “I feel dizzy, I'm going take a nap.” 1901 1841 20 July 1963 Antonín Dvořák Memorial
was opened to the public 1904 1969 20 July 1969 Dvořák's Novosvětská symphony accompanies the Apollo 11 astronauts during the landing on the Moon. 1963 1974 1974 The Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek discovers asteroid 2055 and he names it Dvořák. 1969 2018 2018 With the help of artificial intelligence, the composition From The Future World is completed from an unfinished sketch. 1974 1841