Ludevít Procházka (1837–1888)

Music critic, organiser of Prague music events, conductor, pianist and composer. He initiated a series of informal musical evenings which regularly presented the premieres of songs by Czech composers. At one of these events, 10 December 1871, the audience was able to hear the first ever public performance of a work by Dvořák, namely the song Remembrance from the cycle Songs on Words by Eliška Krásnohorská. Dvořák dedicated String Quartet No. 7 to Procházka and, at the latter’s request, wrote his Symphonic Variations, whose premiere Procházka conducted 2 December 1877.