Iosif Kotek

Iosif Kotek was a Russian violinist, born on 6 November 1855 in Kamianets-Podilskyi. He was born into the family of a music teacher of Czech origin.

He graduated from the music school attached to the Kyiv branch of the Russian Musical Society. From 1871 to 1876 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory in the violin class of Ferdinand Laub and then Jan Hřímalý, and also studied free composition and music theory with Pyotr Tchaikovsky. He completed the conservatory with a diploma and medal.

During his student years he formed a close friendship with Tchaikovsky that lasted until Kotek's death. After graduating, he entered the service of the millionaire Nadezhda von Meck as a domestic musician. Kotek informed von Meck about Tchaikovsky's difficult financial situation, and through him she began providing the composer with regular financial support. He also acted as an intermediary between von Meck and Tchaikovsky and served as a witness at Tchaikovsky's wedding.

Kotek assisted Tchaikovsky in working on the solo part of the Violin Concerto, written in 1878. Tchaikovsky highly valued Kotek's performing abilities and entrusted him with the first private performance of the concerto, with the composer himself accompanying on piano. Tchaikovsky dedicated the Valse-Scherzo, written in 1877, to Kotek. Musicologists have also suggested that the cycle for violin and piano Souvenir d'un lieu cher may have been written in response to Kotek's wishes or in the hope that he would perform it.

In 1882 Kotek moved to Berlin, where he further improved his violin playing under Joseph Joachim. He later taught for some time at the Hochschule für Musik and performed both as a soloist and as primarius of a string quartet. In 1884 he showed signs of tuberculosis, and he died on 4 January 1885 in Davos, not yet thirty years old.

Connections

This figure has 1 connection in the Music Lineage catalog.