Josef Suk was a Czech composer, violinist, and music educator, born on January 4, 1874, in Křečovice. He studied organ and piano with his father, Josef Suk Sr., then attended the Prague Conservatory, studying composition with Antonín Dvořák and violin with Antonín Bennewitz. He was one of Dvořák’s favorite students and married Dvořák’s daughter in 1898.
From 1891 to 1933, Suk played second violin in the Czech Quartet. He wrote symphonic and chamber works, including the Second Symphony, titled Asrael, and the symphonic poems Prague, A Summer’s Tale, and Ripening.
In 1932, Suk received a silver medal in the music competition at the Los Angeles Olympic Games for his composition Toward a New Life. He retired in 1933 and died in Benešov on May 29, 1935. His students included Bohuslav Martinů, Klement Slavický, Stanojlo Rajičić, and Pavel Bořkovec. He was the grandfather of the violinist Josef Suk.