Czech violinist and teacher Václav Snítil was born at Hradec Králové on 1 March 1928. He studied violin with Jaroslav Kocián and composition with Vítězslav Novák. He graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, and returned there to teach from 1964 until his death in Prague on 19 July 2015.
He gave first Czech performances of works by Robert Schumann and Karl Amadeus Hartmann and had various contemporary works in his repertoire. He played regularly in the Prague Spring International Music Festival and also toured internationally. As a chamber musician he played with the Vlach Quartet and the Smetana Trio, and was artistic director and first violinist of the Czech Nonet.