Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-02-15
SP|LLV|LLE GETS
fine WRITEUP
History of the Thriving City Written
Up in Sundays Des Moines
Register.
FINE PEOPLE AND
A FINE TOWN
Many of Its Former Residents Are
Prominent in Educational And
Musical World.

Prominent in Educational And
Musical World.
How many Iowans know that the
gladdest, saddest, liltingest tune in
the world was composed on the bank
of. little stream in northern Iowa !?
The tune you will place at once
none other than Dvorak's "Humores-
Que" could fit that description. Ever
since its initial playing in New York
in 1898 it has brought laughter and
tears the world over.
Every violinist and 'ce!list knows
that "Humoresque' is sure fret is
musical-proof. Millions flocked to
see "Humoresque" On the screen be-
cause they loved so much the tune
about which it was written,
There could be only one "Humor-
esquer
Spillviile Lost Trade, Centralized on
Culture
But didtyou know that this tune,
which has played upon the heart
strings of the world, was composed
at quiet Spillville, near DEBORAH, in
Winneshiel county? There Dvorak
wrote most of the Fifth Symphony,
From the New World" and he gain
ed inspiration for "Humoresque"
from the pretty Turkey river.
Years ago Spillville's hopes of be-
coming a fourishing metropolis fad
ed when the railroad passed it by,
Its trade naturally drifting to more
favored towns. But, according to
Fireman r. Conaway, who described
the town in the Cedar Rapids Re-
publican, Spillville neither died nol
took on the appearance of deserted
village.
at capitalized its educational ia
cilities and its community activities
After the first exodus to towns or
the railroads Spillvifle settled down
to a steady, quiet life. It's popula-
ton since 1880 has remained about
the same, seldom exceeding 4OO
people.
People Are BOhemians, With Great
Love of Music i.
"These people are descendants OF
the Bohemia which for centuries in
the face of the most tyrannical OPP
preston has maintained the high
standards of citizenship and the de.
velopment of culture. Spillville has
modestly refrained from blowing its
own horn for fear of disturbing the
quietness of the village as a birth
place of science, music and art.
at was here that Dvorak came
from New York for inspiration in the
quiet village and among people OF
his own race with high ideals in art
at was at The bend of the beauti'
full Turkey river, in walking distance
from the town, that he wrote "Hu'
moresque" and the spot is sacred tc
the people of Spillville who learned
to love devotedly the greatest music
product of Bohemia.
t'He and Prof. j. j. KOvarik, now
college president at New Prague
were bosom companions at Spillville
In a home on the main street recon
structed from a former business
building he composed and completed
most of the Fifth Symphony, which
he called from the New World
"He had gathered the themes o.
the original folk songs of America
from the Indians and from the Ne
groes and wove them into his grea
work. He believed that nationa
school of America music would som'
time be founded upon the folk musi
of the southern Negro and American
Indian. To prove his claim he wov'
such melodies into the New World
symphony.
Like Shakespeare, Dvorak wa
raised butcher. However, t'sc ut
mosphere in Bohemia was all music
Wagner once described it as 9TH
land of harp player and street musi
clans" Music found an appreciation
in Prague which found no othe
place in Europe. Dvorak was per
suaded by his school teacher to TAX
up music and he learned to play tn
violin. He became street musician
and learned the music of the people
"SpiIlville has one church, Roman
Catholic, the edifice having bee
erected in 1860. 1t was patternet
after the famous st. Barbara cathe
dral at Kutna Hora Kuttenberg