Antonín Dvořák

Antonín Dvořák showed early violin talent, but his first public success in Prague didn't arrive until 1873, when he was 31. He entered German and Austrian competitions hoping for wider notice; in 1874 Johannes Brahms sat on the jury and awarded him a prize. After Dvořák's third win in 1877, Brahms recommended him to publisher Simrock, who commissioned the Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 — their sales launched him internationally. An 1883 London performance of his Stabat Mater opened doors across the UK, the United States, and Russia. In 1892 he became director of the National Conservatory of Music of…