Josef Suk (4 January 1874 – 29 May 1935) was a Czech composer, violinist, and Olympic silver medalist. He studied under Antonín Dvořák, whose daughter he married.

Biography

From a young age, Josef Suk (born in Křečovice, Bohemia) was deeply involved and well trained in music. He learned organ, violin, and piano from his father, Josef Suk Sr., and was trained further in violin by the Czech violinist Antonín Bennewitz. His theory studies were conducted with several other composers including Josef Bohuslav Foerster, , and . He later focused his writing on chamber works under the teachings of Hanuš Wihan. Despite extensive musical training, his musical skill was often said to be largely inherited. Though he continued his lessons with Wihan another year after the completion of his schooling, Suk's greatest inspiration came from another of his teachers, Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.

Known as one of Dvořák's favorite pupils, Suk also became personally close to his mentor. Underlying this was Dvořák's respect for Suk, reflected in Suk's 1898 marriage to Dvořák's daughter, Otilie, marking some of the happiest times in the composer's life and music. However, the last portion of Suk's life was punctuated with tragedy. Over the span of 14 months around 1905, not only did Suk's mentor Dvořák die, but so did Otilie. These events inspired Suk's Asrael Symphony.

thumb|left|upright|Josef Suk

Owing to a shared heritage—and the coincidence of their dying within a few months of one another—Suk has been closely compared, in works and style, to fellow Czech composer Otakar Ostrčil. Suk, alongside Vitezslav Novak and Ostrčil, is considered one of the leading composers in Czech Modernism, with much shared influence among the three coming in turn from Dvořák. Eminent German figures such as composer Johannes Brahms and critic Eduard Hanslick recognized Suk's work during his time with the Czech Quartet.

Private life

Suk married Dvorak's daughter, Otilie Suková, a composer in her own right, in 1898. They had one child, a son, also named Josef, in 1901. Otilie died of heart failure aged 27 in 1905, a year after her father. Josef Suk Jr. in turn was father of the acclaimed violinist Josef Suk, who died in 2011.

Suk retired in 1933, Suk died on 29 May 1935, in Benešov, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic); he was buried in the cemetery of St Luke's Church, Křečovice.

Musical style

thumb|Memorial plaque

Suk's musical style started off with a heavy influence from his mentor, Dvořák. The biggest change of Suk's style came after he reached a "dead end" in his early musical style (music played less of a role in Suk's life outside of his schooling

The majority of Suk's papers are kept in Prague. There is also a new catalogue of Suk's works that contains more manuscripts than any before it, some of them also containing sketches by Suk.

Suk said of himself: "I do not bow to anyone, except to my own conscience and to our noble Lady Music… and yet at the same time I know that thereby I serve my country, and praise the great people from the period of our wakening who taught us to love our country."

See also

  • Josef Suk Museum, formerly the composer's home in Křečovice.

References

Citations

Sources

  • at the 'Indian Summer in Levoča' Festival, 2008.
  • Photo of Josef and Otilie Suk in a Dvořák Family Photo Gallery
  • Josef Suk: Piano Works
  • Meet … Czech composer and violinist Josef Suk
  • Josef Suk Piano Quartet Op. 1, Piano Trio in c, Op. 2 and String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11 Soundbites and discussion of works
  • Josef Suk's academic genealogy entry