Antonin Dvorak’s death and funeral
► route of the funeral procession – map | ► site of Dvorak’s tomb in Vysehrad cemetery |
period press reports |
photographs of the
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Musikalisches Wochenblatt:
“With the passing of Antonin Dvorak, Bohemia has lost its greatest composer, and the entire cultural spectrum is now deprived of a musician whom, where musical talent is concerned, no living composer can rival. It is strange to think that this fact was not expressed more frequently. Dvorak gave out everything he received or could receive from his nation: the true, pure language of tones.” Frankfurter Zeitung: “Alongside Brahms, Dvorak was the most eminent representative of the so-called conservative movement. Yet, despite his great affinity with Brahms, he maintained his own stylistic independence. In his works he placed chief emphasis on the melodic element. Dvorak’s works will proclaim his glory far beyond the memory of his contemporaries, and his name will assume an honorary place in the history of music.” Pester Lloyd: “A series of wonderful works carried Antonin Dvorak’s name far beyond the confines of his small country. As a composer of opera – partly due to his nationality – he was reliant almost exclusively upon the Czech stage. [...] In all other disciplines, however, Dvorak was a triumphant master. Practically all his works are familiar to Budapest concert audiences and now enjoy considerable popularity.” Vossische Zeitung: “The death of Antonin Dvorak caught us completely unawares. His friends and admirers still anticipated much from him, all the more so since they had noted that, in the last period of his composition work, his originality had continued to strengthen and flourish. But then these hopes were dashed.” |
Leos Janacek:“The Warsaw Philharmonic has changed the programme of its symphonic concert. It will include the “Hussite” overture as a mark of respect for the great Czech composer Dr Antonin Dvorak, whose death has just been announced to its members. I stand unsteadily with the others in the crowded hall. Is it really true that he has died?”
Edvard Grieg:“I received a letter from Prague, the paper framed in black: Antonin Dvorak is dead. The brilliant Czech composer, whose name is known to the whole world, is no longer with us. We have thus lost one of the few contemporary original and national composers [...] I loved Dvorak as an artist and as a musician and, last year, I was fortunate to have come to know him as a true and good person. |