After studies at a teacher's training college, he entered the Prague Conservatory where he was a pupil of B. Voldan (violin) and K. Janecek (composition). He continued his studies of composition at the Academy of Arts and Music with P. Borkovec and graduated with a Violin concerto in 1950. Besides compositional activity which brought him the State Prize, he has been active pedagogically: first at the department of composition at the Academy of Arts and Music, later as Professor of theoretical musical subjects at the department of musicology of the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University.
Vladimir Sommer's work belongs among the most important fruit of Czech musical creativity after the liberation. It corresponds to the author's artistic nature in which there is no place for social indifference. Creation provides him with scope to express the burnings of human existence, therefore in spite of intellectually sophisticated compositional language, his works carry a strong expressive charge. He formulated his musical opinion: corresponding with the efforts of the 20th century classics, already in his graduation work Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in G Minor and in his String Quartet in D Minor. Besides these confessions of intimate character in the field of instrumental genres, Sommer committed himself in the construction endeavour by successful production of mass songs and choruses. Vocal Symphony, dramatically clean-cut and expressionally stirring, represents the peak of Sommer's creative effort. It is an allegory of the conflict-bearing humanity which stretches from the picture of an anguishful night, over a dream about cruelty up to a conciliatory view of death. The composition features Sommer's talent for melody, his capacity to provide basis musical structures with changeable meanings, his sense of pure instrumentation and above all high-rising emotionality. The composition met with response not only at home, but also when performed abroad. Sommer's developed visual thinking and dramatic feeling helped him to become a successful author of film music as well. Strong auto-critical approach is a characteristic feature of Sommer's personality, therefore he submits to the public relatively small number of compositions. In the last period he composed Sinfonia da Requiem and Symphony for Strings, Piano Sonata, String Quartet in B, and a new Violoncello concerto.