Adolf Míšek (29 August 1875 – 20 October 1955) was a Czech
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...
ist and composer of the late romantic era.
Born in Modletín (then a part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire), he left for
Vienna
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at the age of 15 to study with
Franz Simandl
Franz Simandl (August 1, 1840 – December 15, 1912) was a Czech double-bassist and pedagogue most remembered for his book ''New Method for the Double Bass,'' known as the "Simandl book", which is to this day used as a standard study of doubl ...
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
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
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.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Misek, Adolf
1875 births
1955 deaths
Czech classical composers
Czech male classical composers
Czech choral conductors