The most famous Czech composer outside his country, Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) earned that status through luck and connections, but also through the lyrical beauty of his music. Born near Prague to an innkeeper, he showed musical talent at an early age and learned German from his uncle. He toiled in obscurity until he won the Austrian State Prize in 1874, and one of the jurors, Johannes Brahms, recommended Dvořák to his German publisher. Heavily influenced by Bohemian folk music, Dvořák found his fame spreading to Britain and America as well as through the German-speaking world.