In the summer of 1893, the world renowned Czech composer Antonin Dvorak lived here.

This is Spillville, Iowa, a town with a population of around 350 people.

The question is how did a man like divorce shark who was an international celebrity spend a little over three months in this small village and while staying here end up composing two of his most enduring and celebrated works?

Antonin Dvorak's musical legacy is profound.

During his lifetime, he had become one of the most influential composers.

His works were performed by leading artists in the most prestigious places in the world.

By the end of his life, he was described by some as the world's greatest living composer.

After great success in Europe, Dvorak negotiated a contract with the National Conservatory of Music in New York City.

In 1892.

He sailed across the ocean to America to begin a new chapter in his life.

Dvorak drew inspiration from nature, the sound of birds, streams and brooks, but his music was deeply connected to his homeland, too.

After a year in the hustle and bustle of post-industrial New York City, life began to wear on him.

He grew homesick.

He initially planned to travel back to Bohemia for his summer holiday, but his assistant, Joseph Kovarik, an American of Czech ancestry, told Dvorak about his hometown of Spillville.

Dvorak took to the idea of spending some time in the company of his fellow countrymen.

By June, he and his family set out for the West by train to find that piece of bohemia in Iowa's rolling hills.

The era of the Great Migration from Europe began about 1820 during these years, a tremendous movement set in from the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe.

From the mid 1800s on a large number of immigrants from Bohemia began to settle in the area around Spillville It was very much a Czech village.

Dvorak immediately fell in love with the town.

Spillville became something of an American bohemia for Dvorak.

He quickly started a daily routine that copied patterns he had adopted in his homeland.

He would wake early in the morning, go for a walk in the woods and attend mass at St Wencelaus lost church, playing the organ during the service.

He would sit along the banks of the Turkey River, listening to the birds.

The Tranquility Dovrak felt soon inspired his work.

He quickly composed two pieces which are now among his most popular.

The string quartet number twelve in F Major and the string quintet number three in E Flat Major on the last page of the composition , Dvorak noted.

Thank God, I am pleased it went quickly.

This would become his American period, all inspired by his stay in Spillville.

By the middle of August, the idyllic calm of Spillville came to a close.

He and his family departed for New York, leaving this quiet little town of 350 behind.

Even though this world famous composer only stayed here for three months, his legacy has lasted well over a century.

If you're ever in northeastern Iowa, it might be worth it to visit this small town.

Walk along the banks of a creek and listen to the inspiration Dvorak found here in the summer of 1893.