The Dvorak museum is another sort-of shrine to another one of the most important Czech composers, this time located not in tourist central but in a more residential yet city neighborhood.
The museum is housed in a lovely villa surrounded by an umkempt yard and statuary. Evidently there was no connection between Dvorak and this villa except that he walked past it often on his way to and from home. It took three attempts to gain entry: Day one the museum was closed for filming, Day two I arrived an hour before opening (My fault). Even though there is not a historical connection to Dvorak, nor much to learn about the man himself, a visit to this villa is pleasant just for the frescos and open layout.
The museum does house Dvorak’s piano, though its unclear from the signage if the piano is only housed in this location for a short while, or if it has only recently been moved here.
There are a few other odds and ends of Dvorak’s possessions, a rather tiny toilet in the basement, an umkempt lawn with interesting (and slightly famous) statuary, and a couple out-buildings that are inaccessible to visitors.
The last little interesting tidbit was in the signage describing Dvorak’s work in the New World. The sign said the Dvorak was brought to America to help the Americans find a national voice, but that when he suggested that the voice lay in African American spirituals and Native American music, the American media protested.
I knew that Dvorak was instrumental in encouraging American composers to find their national voice, but I’m not sure that was the original motivation for bringing him to the USA to teach.
Either way, it was an interesting way to spend an hour in an interesting neighborhood in an interesting city. However, if you want to learn something about Dvorak, you would better spend your hour googling him. Of course, if you chose that method, you could sit in your chair at home instead of wandering Prague.
