Suk

Josef Suk (1874 – 1935) was a Czech composer and violinist. He studied at Prague Conservatory from 1885 to 1892, where he was a pupil of Antonín Dvořák and Antonín Bennewitz.\nHe formed the Czech Quartet with three of his fellow students — Suk played second violin with them for most of his life. From 1922 he taught at the Prague Conservatory where his pupils included Bohuslav Martinů, Rudolf Firkušný and Manoah Leide-Tedesco. He was the grandfather of acclaimed violinist Josef Suk. Suk's early works show the influence of Dvořák and Johannes Brahms, while later pieces use more extended harmonies to create a personal and complex style. Unlike many of his countrymen, he made little use of Czech folk music. His best known works are probably the youthful Serenade for Strings and the Asrael Symphony in C minor. Other pieces include the Fairy Tale Suite "Raduz and Mahulena" the cycle of piano works Things Lived and Dreamed and the trilogy of symphonic poems A Summer's Tale, The Ripening, and Epilogue for soprano, baritone and bass soli, chorus and orchestra.\nSuk won a silver medal at the Art Competitions during the Olympic Games of 1932 at Los Angeles with his work Toward a New Life.