Catapulted to international fame by the runaway success of his Slavonic Dances, Dvorak was, by the end of his life, one of the world's most celebrated composers. This book traces the course of an extraordinary creative career that embraced the peasant music-making of rural Bohemia, the grand receptions of Victorian England and the dynamism of fin-de-siecle New York to shape the most versatile genius in the annals of late Romanticism.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2021 A provocative interpretation of why classical music in America "stayed white"—how it got to be that way and what can be done about it. In 1893 the composer Antonín Dvorák prophesied a “great and noble school” of American classical music based on the “negro melodies” he had excitedly discovered since arriving in the United States a year before. But while Black music would foster popular genres known the world over, it never gained a foothold in the concert hall. Black composers found few opportunities to have their works performed, and white composers mainly rejected Dvorák’s lead. Joseph Horowitz ranges throughout American cultural history, from Frederick Douglass and Huckleberry Finn to George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and the work of Ralph Ellison, searching for explanations. Challenging the standard narrative for American classical music fashioned by Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein, he looks back to literary figures—Emerson, Melville, and Twain—to ponder how American music can connect with a “usable past.” The result is a new paradigm that makes room for Black composers, including Harry Burleigh, Nathaniel Dett, William Levi Dawson, and Florence Price, while giving increased prominence to Charles Ives and George Gershwin. Dvorák’s Prophecy arrives in the midst of an important conversation about race in America—a conversation that is taking place in music schools and concert halls as well as capitols and boardrooms. As George Shirley writes in his foreword to the book, “We have been left unprepared for the current cultural moment. [Joseph Horowitz] explains how we got there [and] proposes a bigger world of American classical music than what we have known before. It is more diverse and more equitable. And it is more truthful.”

This book is a personal biography by Antonin Dvořák's son who at the age of seventy-five years old decided to "write about the events missing from the other books about my father." For musicologists, Otakar's biography of his father contains many new items, but basically the book portrays Dvořák as a father.

The forgotten screen legend who made Hollywood history by challenging the all-powerful studio system is revealed in this first full-length biography. Seemingly destined for A-list fame, Ann Dvorak was touted as “Hollywood’s New Cinderella” after film mogul Howard Hughes cast her in the 1932 gangster film Scarface. But Dvorak’s journey to superstardom was derailed when she walked out on her contractual obligations to Warner Bros. for an extended honeymoon. Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel explores the life and career of one of the first individuals who dared to challenge the studio system. Dvorak reached her pinnacle during the early 1930s, when the film industry was relatively uncensored and free to produce movies with more daring storylines. She played several female leads in films including The Strange Love of Molly Louvain, Three on a Match, and Heat Lightning, but after her walk-out, Warner Bros retaliated by casting her in less significant roles. Following the casting conflicts and illness, Dvorak filed a lawsuit against the Warner Bros. studio, setting a precedent for other stars who eventually followed suit. In this insightful memoir, Christina Rice explores the spirited rebellion of a talented actress whose promising career fell victim to the studio empire.

Prologue. The Big Problem -- The Welcome Arrival -- The Symphonic Premiere -- The Aesthetic Conflict -- The National Question -- The Brewing Storm -- The Fiery Debate -- The Racial Challenge -- The Spiritual Aftermath -- Epilogue. The New World -- Appendix. The Musical Tornado.

Comprising both interpretive essays and a selection of documents that bear testimony to Dvořák's career and musical works, this volume addresses fundamental questions about the composer while presenting an argument for a radical reappraisal of his work.

WHOUI! WHOUI! WHOUI!Louie blows on his brand-new whistle from Paree. It sounds important, snappy, and grand to Josette. But it scares the birds from the garden. Fonfon jumps up and yip-yaps away. And baby Roland starts to cry. “Play it sweet, mon cher,” says Auntie Claire. “Can’t you blow soft?” asks Mama. “Zut alors!” cries Grand-père. “Non! Non! Non!” yells Louie. When he leaves in a huff without his whistle, Josette finally gets to give it a try. She blows it sweet for the birds: “Whoui. Tee-whoui.” She blows it soft for Fonfon: “Whhoui-ooo-whhouit.” She blows it soft and sweet for Sheba: “Brr-oui. Brr-oui.” The birds twitter back. Fonfon comes dancing. And Sheba purrs to the music she makes. Then, maybe Josette will call a taxi—WHOUI! WHOUI! WHOUI!—and return the little French whistle to Louie. From the Hardcover edition.