Joseph Joachim (1831–1907)

Austro-Hungarian violinist, composer and conductor, founder and director of the Royal Academy of Music in Berlin, founder and leader of the Joachim Quartet. He took a keen interest in Dvořák’s work and, together with his quartet and two other soloists, he performed the world premiere of Dvorak’s String Sextet in A major; the quartet also frequently presented other chamber pieces by him on the concert platform. Dvořák dedicated his Violin Concerto in A minor to him, which he revised in accordance with Joachim’s recommendations. He dedicated his Songs on the Words of the Dvůr Kralové Manuscript to the violinist’s wife, mezzo-soprano Amalie Joachim. On 29 July 1879 Joachim held a gala evening in Berlin in Dvořák’s honour.