He is the most-played Czech composer in the world. During his lifetime, Antonín Dvořák achieved unprecedented success, becoming director of the National Conservatory in New York. His Symphony No. 9, subtitled “From the New World”, was hailed by contemporary reviews as “the greatest achievement in the history of music” and was the first composition to be performed during the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. Not only does every Czech know his name, but even a crater on the planet Mercury bears his name. If you long for a stellar musical experience, listen to Dvořák at one of Prague’s magnificent concert halls. He was blessed with absolute pitch, a vast musical memory and an enviable sense of harmony and rhythm, which even the famous German composer and Dvořák’s friend Johannes Brahms admired. However, the young Dvořák had to work his way up to success, and despite being predestined by his family to become an innkeeper and butcher, he enforced his desire to study at the Prague Organ School. In the nineteenth century, it was uncommon for an ordinary village boy to choose the world of high art. Dvořák came to Prague from his native Nelahozeves at the age of 16 with basic piano, organ and violin skills. He succeeded in the end, and after years of languishing, the desired fruits finally came: Dvořák’s scores began to appear in print, the music under his baton spread across Europe, and the composer churned out one great symphony after another. He received international awards, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge, and performed at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall. At the invitation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, he also gave concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The highlight of his career was the signing of a contract to direct the American National Conservatory of Music in New York in 1891. In the spring of 1895, however, he returned to Bohemia. He missed his family and his country, and not even his high salary could keep him in the USA any longer. He looked forward to teaching at the Prague Conservatory and composing in his homeland once again. He was the first to conduct a performance of his compositions at the brand new Rudolfinum concert hall at the inaugural concert of the Czech Philharmonic on 4 January 1896. Today, the magnificent main hall bears Dvořák’s name and a larger-than-life statue looks down on the Rudolfinum from the adjacent park. The Rudolfinum also hosts the annual Dvořák Prague International Music Festival, one of the two most popular festivals of its kind in the Czech Republic. If you are planning to visit Prague in autumn, be sure to catch a concert during this important classical music event in Europe. His Prague footprints can be found, among other places, in the Old Town in today’s Husova Street No. 238, where he stayed after first arriving in the city. The facade of the building has retained almost the same appearance as it had at the time of Dvořák’s residence. He soon moved to his aunt and uncle’s house at 29 Karlovo náměstí Square, where he lived for almost 13 years (with a two-year break) and composed a number of important works. He loved the park on the square and would come here during his morning walks to listen to the birds singing until the end of his life. He would also stroll to one of the former Prague railway stations or the thundering railway bridge at Výtoň, for he had been greatly fascinated by trains since childhood. It is said that he composed Humoresque No. 7 in G flat major on a train, having been inspired by the rhythm of the wheels. “I would give all my symphonies to be the one who invented the locomotive!” he said, admiring all the technical progress of the time. He was also a violist in the orchestra of the Provisional Theatre under the baton of famous Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, 17 years his senior. The building was located on the same site where the National Theatre was later built. Dvořák continued to live in Prague in Na Rybníčku Street, where he and his wife Anna bore and soon after buried their first three children. Wonderful music sprung forth from the heart of the despairing father, and one of his most famous works, the Stabat Mater, was written during this sad period. The Dvořák family moved from the accursed apartment to 10 Žitná Street (now No. 14), where they settled permanently. There they had six more children who all reached adulthood. Antonín Dvořák is commemorated here by a bust and a memorial plaque. In the final period of his career, Dvořák devoted himself to fairy tale and mythical themes, writing the operas The Devil and Kate and Rusalka, the jewel of Czech opera in Bohemia and around the world. The boy from Nelahozeves would certainly never have imagined that his Rusalka would be staged by the South Korean National Opera, in Czech no less! Dvořák fans cannot miss a visit to his birthplace in Nelahozeves, where a museum is soon to be opened. In addition to the peaceful atmosphere of the Czech countryside, there is also a charming Renaissance castle, one of the most beautiful of its kind in the country. The trip is definitely interesting for anyone who wishes to go beyond Prague and see the Czech country outside the spotlight. The golden strings of a lyre in a tangle of grey willow branches shine against the background of the composer’s bronze bust on a stone tombstone in the arcade of Vyšehrad Cemetery. They point to the heavens – just like his music, in which the composer touched something common to all people, and which still appeals to listeners all across the globe.