Antonin Dvorak (photo) (audio)

Originally from Bohemia, Antonin Dvorak adapted folk music into classical music. Born on September 8th, 1841 in the region now known as the Czech Republic, Dvorak was exposed to music because his father had an inn.

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Every week or so, the bar would have dances with violinists being the major music-giver. For two years, Antonin Dvorak attended organ school and for the next decade, he gave organ lessons and started on the viola.

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In 1875, Dvorak received the Austrian State prize for his composition on "Symphony in E Flat". However, it wasn't until Dvorak's "Slavonic Dances" was published in a widely read magazine that his popularity soared. His fame continued to spread and in 1892, he was appointed director of the National Conservatory of Music in NYC. Today, Dvorak's "From the New World" Symphony is his best known work. This piece of music was influenced by slaves in the United States.