Josef Suk

Suk, Josef 

Born Jan. 4, 1874, in Křečovice; died May 29, 1935, in Beneišov, near Prague. Czech violinist and composer.

Suk studied violin under A. Bennewitz and composition under K. Stecker and A. Dvořák. From 1891 to 1933 he played with the Bohemian Quartet, with which he toured Russia frequently, beginning in 1895. Until 1904 he performed as a soloist. In 1922 he became a professor at the Prague Conservatory, and from 1924 to 1926 and from 1933 to 1935 he served as the conservatory’s rector. In his First Symphony (1897) and other orchestral, instrumental, and chamber works, Suk developed the traditions of the Czech classics. After 1904, traits of expressionism appeared in his compositions. A collection of Suk’s works for piano was published in the USSR in 1955.

REFERENCES

Belza, I. Ocherki razvitiia cheshskoi muzykal’noi klassiki. Moscow, 1951. Pages 460–466.
Berkovec, J. Josef Suk, 2nd ed. Prague, 1962.