ABSTRACT
Although widely regarded as one of the major figures in 19th-century music, critical reception towards Antonín Dvořák’s work after his death in 1904 remained subject to contrasting attitudes, particularly in his native country. This remained the case during the Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia (1939-1945), a period of intensive cultural activity which included lavish celebrations honouring the centenary of the composer’s birth in 1941. As far as the occupying Germans and their ‘activist’ collaborators were concerned, the Dvořák centenary provided the perfect opportunity for emphasising and exploiting what they believed to be the essentially Germanic components of his musical language. On the other hand, the Czechs celebrated Dvořák’s music as a symbol of national patriotism and as a potent force in opposition towards the occupying powers. This chapter explores Dvořák reception in this period through examination of policy statements by cultural organisations, repertoire choices of orchestral and operatic ensembles and musicological studies, newspaper and journal articles.
