Romance in F minor for flute and piano, Op. 11

Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904) was a prominent Czech composer of the Romantic era, the first from Bohemia to achieve worldwide recognition. He is celebrated for his vibrant, melodic style that blended the classical tradition with the folk music idioms of his native Bohemia and Moravia.
Born the son of a butcher and innkeeper in the village of Nelahozeves, Dvořák displayed a strong musical talent from an early age, learning the violin. He pursued formal musical training at the Prague Organ School from 1857 to 1859, after which he played the viola in a professional orchestra, eventually the Bohemian Provisional Theatre Orchestra, conducted at times by Bedřich Smetana.
Dvořák's compositions began to gain notice in the 1870s. A pivotal moment came when he was awarded the Austrian State Prize in 1875, bringing him to the attention of Johannes Brahms, who recommended him to his publisher, Fritz Simrock. Simrock's publication of Dvořák's Moravian Duets (1878) and the first set of Slavonic Dances (1878) launched his international career, popularizing Slavic themes across Europe and America. His reputation grew with performances of major choral works like the Stabat Mater (1877) and commissions from England, including his Symphony No. 7.
In 1892, Dvořák accepted a lucrative position as the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, where he stayed until 1895. During this time, he was encouraged to create an "American" style of music by incorporating Black and Native American musical elements. This period produced some of his most famous works: Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World"); String Quartet No. 12 ("American"), and Cello Concerto in B minor (1895).
Homesickness and financial difficulties at the Conservatory led Dvořák to return to Prague in 1895, where he resumed teaching at the Conservatory (eventually becoming its director). In his final years, he focused on programmatic works and opera, including his masterpiece opera Rusalka (1900), which contains the famous "Song to the Moon" aria.