Dvorak, like Sibelius, looked to native folk myths and legends for source materials and based several of these large-scale compositions on the epic poems of his countryman, poet Karel Jaromir Erben.
Like his contemporaries Jean Sibelius, Franz Liszt, and Richard Strauss, the symphonic poem became an important vehicle for Dvorak's creative energies.
Antonin Dvorak's music is deeply infused with the spirit of his native Czech homeland and as such remains a source of great national pride.
Like other "nationalist" composers, Dvorak fused musical folk elements into formal compositional framework in masterful ways.
Dvorak's love of country is further evident in his symphonic poems, which are often based on Czech mythology and folk legends.