1881–1892

During the early part of this period Dvořák began to enjoy greater familiarity outside German-speaking countries as well. One of the defining moments was the huge success of Stabat mater in London as the cornerstone of the Dvořák cult in England. A series of works were commissioned by English music institutions. By this stage Dvořák was a mature, self-confident composer at the height of his career with a broad palette of expressional means at his disposal, and he had now mastered all the components of the composition process. In his works he achieved the ideal fusion of the modern European musical idiom and his own distinctive invention. He produced a large number of major works universally recognised as masterpieces of their era, in particular: Symphony No. 7 in D minor and Symphony No. 8 in G major, Piano Quintet in A major, the cantata The Spectre’s Bride, the second series of Slavonic Dances, Mass in D major and Requiem. For the Czech National Theatre he wrote the opera The Jacobin which would become his second most performed stage work. With this international renown came an offer at the end of this period to take up the post of director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York.