Quick Facts
Biography
Adolf Míšek (29 August 1875 – 20 October 1955) was a Czech double bassist and composer of the late romantic era.
Born in Modletín (then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), he left for Vienna at the age of 15 to study with Franz Simandl at the Vienna Conservatory. At the age of 23 Míšek joined the orchestra of the state opera in Vienna - a post he held concurrently with the professorship at the conservatory after the departure of Simandl in 1912 - until he left for Prague in 1918 to join the National Theatre as principal bassist and soloist. He held this position until his death in 1955.
Míšek's compositions remain part of the bass repertoire. Some pieces that are still popular include his three sonatas for double bass and piano (in A major, E minor, and F major, respectively), the lyrical Legend, and the virtuosic Concert Polonaise. All of Míšek's pieces are highly idiomatic and show that he was an accomplished performer and a talented composer.