Antonín Dvořák, one of the most celebrated composers of the 19th
  century, is not only associated with his birthplace Nelahozeves but
  also with Vysoká u Příbrami, where he spent many summers. During these
  stays, he was a regular visitor to the nearby church in Třebsko,
  attending morning mass. In 1894, Dvořák donated a set of organ pipes to
  the church, but unfortunately, these were destroyed in a devastating
  fire in 1953. Now, a rare recording of the organ's sound has been
  uncovered in the archives of Czech Radio.
  [1]Antonín Dvořák with his family and friends in Vysoká | Photo: J. V.
  Sládek, e-Sbírky, National Museum, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED

  Antonín Dvořák with his family and friends in Vysoká|Photo: J. V.
  Sládek, e-Sbírky, National Museum, [2]CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED

  “Antonín Dvořák bought this pipe organ for the church here.
  Unfortunately, they were lost in the fire, leaving behind only the
  bench on which he sat to play,” says Jan Bondra, a native of Třebsko
  and the local organist and tuner.

  On September 8, 1894, the organ was consecrated and officially put into
  use. "There’s even a handwritten note by Dvořák stating, 'I played the
  organ in Třebsko on September 8, 1894,’” reads Vojtěch Poláček,
  director of the Antonín Dvořák Memorial in Vysoká. This date also
  coincides with the composer’s birthday.

  Bondra adds: “Dvořák played here regularly during his stays at Vysoká.
  His favorite hymn was Tisíckrát Pozdravujeme Tebe (A Thousand Times We
  Greet You), which can be heard on the recording Czech Radio
  discovered.”
  [3]Antonín Dvořák Memorial in Vysoká | Photo: Chmee2, Wikimedia
  Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

  Antonín Dvořák Memorial in Vysoká|Photo: Chmee2, Wikimedia Commons,
  [4]CC BY-SA 3.0

  Dvořák was an exceptional organist known for his improvisations. His
  donation of the organ to the church was a significant gesture,
  especially considering its cost. At the time, Dvořák was living in the
  United States, earning what today would be the equivalent of a million
  Czech crowns per month. The organ’s price, estimated at 800 to 1,000
  guilders, represented the equivalent of half the cost of a house or
  several years’ rent for a Prague apartment.

  The recording, which features excerpts of Dvořák’s New World Symphony
  and the Marian hymn Tisíckrát Pozdravujeme Tebe, was discovered by
  Czech Radio archivist Miroslav Turek. “I was going through audio reels
  and records containing sound effects like airplane engines or
  heartbeats, and I found several reels labeled ‘Bells,’” Turek explains.
  “On one of them, I found the sound of an organ – Dvořák’s organ in
  Třebsko.”
  [5]The first page of the autograph score of Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, in
  E minor, “From the New World” | Photo: Burghauser, Jarmil: Antonín
  Dvořák/Wikimedia Commons, public domain

  The first page of the autograph score of Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, in E
  minor, “From the New World”|Photo: Burghauser, Jarmil: Antonín
  Dvořák/Wikimedia Commons, [6]public domain

  The recording was part of the Bells of My Country project, conducted by
  Czech Radio in 1941 and 1942. The project documented the sounds of
  church bells and organ music in rural churches across the country.

  While the original organ no longer exists, Třebsko’s church now houses
  a valuable Baroque organ, originally from Kostelec nad Orlicí, which
  continues to fill the space with music.

  This rediscovered recording offers a rare glimpse into the soundscape
  of Antonín Dvořák’s time, preserving the legacy of the composer’s
  connection to Třebsko and his remarkable gift to its church.

References

  1. https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/6d02bdb2695998f4cf53b903ae97360f.jpg?itok=HeBupzp1&timestamp=1726065568
  2. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  3. https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/vysoka_u_pribrame_pamatnik_antonina_dvoraka.jpg?itok=BznLnYvw&timestamp=1732620271
  4. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed
  5. https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/57847836768af9aa0c10d32525e807cf.jpg?itok=x4_daSRh&timestamp=1732620359
  6. https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/