He was the 13th child of a linen weaver. As a child, he was taught singing and the violin by P.J. Wolf. He was also taught organ. He seems to have been largely self-taught, both as pianist and composer. In 1790 he moved to Prague where he studied Law, Mathematics, History and Aesthetics, supporting himself as a music tutor and composer. He was well known as a pianist and esteemed as a composer in his native Bohemia, and was made financially secure when he was employed as composer in the household of Count Bucquoi von Langueval, who provided him with his own house, which became an important centre for music during has lifetime. He married Wilhelmina Ebert in 1823. He continued to live in Prague with occasional visits to Vienna, where he met Beethoven several times. His pupils included Dreyschock, Schulhoff and Vorisek. He died in Prague at the age of 76 and was buried in the churchyard of Koschir near Prague. Tomášek deserves to be remembered for his importance in the early XIX Century development of Czech music, particularly piano music.