Alongside Smetana (1824-1884), Dvořák (1841-1904), and Janáček (1854-1928), Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) stands as one of the great pillars of Czech music. Born in Polička in 1890, he revealed his precocious talent early on, composing his first string quartet at just ten years old. His interest in France and its music, particularly that of Debussy, developed quickly. As a second violinist of the Czech Philharmonic, Martinů also became well acquainted with the works of Ravel and Dukas. In 1923, he moved to Paris, where he studied under Albert Roussel (1869-1937). He would spend the next seventeen years in France, fleeing the German occupation in 1941 to take refuge in the United States. In 1953, he returned to Europe, dividing his time between Nice, Rome, and Switzerland, where he died in 1959.