Slovak composer. He studied composition, conducting, and organ at the Prague Conservatory. He also attended lectures by Novák. He majored in musicology at Charles University in Prague and studied abroad at the Vienna Academy on a scholarship. After graduation, he became a professor of music theory at the Bratislava Conservatory, and later a professor of composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. In later years, Cikker, who was elected National Artist and Chairman of the Slovak Music Council, also served as an opera consultant for the Slovak National Theatre. He received numerous awards, including the Bratislava City Prize, the Czechoslovak Peace Prize, the Czechoslovak State Prize, the Herder Prize (Vienna), the Madách Prize (Budapest), and the Order of Merit.

From his student days, he composed using Slovak materials. His works also feature frequent use of tertian chords and a combination of diatonic and chromatic scales.