Franz Xaver Niemetschek ( cz, František Xaver Němeček, links=no; pl, Niemeczek, links=no) (24 July 1766 – 19 March 1849) was a Czech
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
,
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
and
music critic
''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...
. He wrote the first full-length biography of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
which has remained an important source of information about the composer.
Life
Born in
Sadská
Sadská () is a town in Nymburk District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,200 inhabitants.
Geography
Sadská is located about southwest of Nymburk and east of Prague. It lies in the Central Elbe Table lowlan ...
,
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
, Niemetschek came from a large, musical family. He received his schooling in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
at the
Gymnasium and read philosophy at the university. He taught
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
and
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
at the Gymnasiums in
Pilsen and started a music publishing business. In 1800 he was awarded a doctorate and in 1802 he became professor at
Prague University
)
, image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, established =
, type = Public, Ancient
, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
, administrative_staff = 4,026
, students = 51,438
, underg ...
, lecturing on
logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...
,
ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...
and
pedagogy
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...
. The composer
Jan Václav Voříšek
Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek (; ''Johann Hugo Worzischek'', 11 May 1791, in Vamberk, Bohemia – 19 November 1825, in Vienna, Austria) was a Czech composer, pianist, and organist.
Life
Voříšek was born in the town of Vamberk, Bohemia, where h ...
was one of his pupils. He was made a freeman of Pilsen and Prague for his many valuable contributions to the arts, e.g. as director of the institute for the
deaf and dumb
Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have som ...
. He wrote books on music history. He lived near the residence of
Josepha Duschek
Josepha Duschek (née Hambacher) (1754–1824) was an outstanding soprano of the Classical era. She was a friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who wrote a few works for her to sing.
Her name is most often given in its German version as above. I ...
ova in the
Liechtenstein Palace in the
Lesser Quarters of Prague, and was a frequent visitor at the musical gatherings in
Bertramka. In 1820 he retired to Vienna after disagreements with the university authorities.
Niemetschek was one of the first
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
in Prague. He saw the
Singspiel
A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...
as the principal factor in the decline of musical standards in the city.
Niemetschek died in Vienna at the age of 82 and is buried in
St. Marx Cemetery
St. Marx Cemetery (Sankt Marxer Friedhof) is a cemetery in the Landstraße district of Vienna, used from 1784 until 1874. It contains the unmarked grave of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
History
The cemetery was named after a nearb ...
. Unfortunately his estate, which contained many valuable documents, is now lost.
Mozart biography
Mozart's widow
Constanze made many documents available to him for his research. His book ''Leben des k.k. Kapellmeisters Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart'' was published in 1798. Later, in 1808, it was published in an altered form with the title ''Lebensbeschreibung des k.k. Kapellmeisters Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart''. Niemetschek claimed to have had a long association with Mozart, but the lack of direct quotations or citings of personal conversations leads some scholars to doubt his claims.
However, he welcomed Mozart's two surviving sons,
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
and
Wolfgang Jr., into his home in the Lesser Quarter and became a foster father figure to them.
As the biography makes clear, Niemetschek was very proud of his Czech nationality, and he strongly emphasizes the warm reception that Mozart received during his visits to Prague. ''See
Mozart and Prague
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
.''
Based on research by Austrian scholar , severe doubt has recently been cast on the veracity of Niemetschek's claim that he actually made Mozart's personal acquaintance.
[Walther Brauneis: "Franz Xaver Niemetschek: Sein Umgang mit Mozart – Eine Legende?", Internationaler Musikwissenschaftlicher Kongreß zum Mozartjahr 1991, Baden-Vienna, ed. Ingrid Fuchs, (Hans Schneider, Tutzing 1993), pp. 491–503.]
Notes
References
* ''
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...
'', edited by
Stanley Sadie
Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...
; 1980;
* Salfellner, Harold (2003) ''Mozart and Prague''. Vitalis. .
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niemetschek, Franz Xaver
Czech musicians
Czech philosophers
Czech non-fiction writers
Czech biographers
Mozart scholars
18th-century Bohemian people
19th-century Czech people
1766 births
1849 deaths
People from Sadská