Leoš Janáček (1854–1928)

Composer, conductor, music theoretician. He probably met Dvořák during his studies at the Prague organ school in 1874 or 1875. Over time they became close friends and travelled round Bohemia together. During the year 1883 Janáček occupied the Dvořáks’ apartment in Prague while they were staying at Vysoká. Janáček was a great admirer of Dvořák’s work and, as a prominent figure in Brno music circles, he often presented his works here, in the process establishing a Dvořák cult in the city. Janáček also handed Dvořák some of his early works for the latter’s appraisal (the cantata Amarus, choruses for male voices, the opera Šárka). In 1886, Janáček dedicated his Four Choruses for Male Voices to Dvořák “in token of my infinite respect”.