Johann Petzmayer (18 March 1803 – 29 December 1884) was an Austrian

zither Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat bo ...

player, influential in making the instrument well-known.

Early life and career

Petzmayer was born in

Zistersdorf Zistersdorf is a town in the district of Gänserndorf in the Austrian state of Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the ...

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

in 1803; his father moved to Vienna, where in he ran an inn. He intended that his son should continue the business. Johann started to teach himself to play the violin; aged 18 he had an opportunity to play a zither, and rapidly learned to play it.Johann Petzmayer
Wiener Zitherfreunde. Retrieved 25 April 2018. His father's inn was near the ''

Linienwall The ''Linienwall'' was an outer line of fortifications for the city of Vienna, Austria, which lay between the city's suburbs and outlying villages. Constructed in 1704, it was razed in 1894 to make way for the Vienna Beltway. Construction The ...

'', an outer line of fortifications around the city, and so was visited by travellers. Guests came to the inn, attracted by the playing. The name of the inn was ''Zum Heiligen Johann'' (Holy John), and Johann became known as ''Heilige Schan''. His reputation grew, and he was invited to play at the houses of nobles; in 1827 Emperor

Franz I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-L ...

summoned him to play at court.

Concert tours

Playing the zither became his full-time occupation. In the following years he gave concerts in many towns and cities of Austria and Germany. In early concerts he was accompanied by a guitar and violin, later by a small orchestra. After playing in the opera house in Berlin in 1834, he was summoned to play for the

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

at the court in Berlin: to Petzmayer's playing, the sisters Therese and

Fanny Elssler Fanny Elssler (born Franziska Elßler; 23 June 181027 November 1884) was an Austrian ballerina of the Romantic Period. Life and career She was born in Gumpendorf, a neighborhood of Vienna. Her father Johann Florian Elssler was a second ge ...

performed ländler of Upper Austria and national dances. Herzog Max in Bayern an der Zither

In 1837 he gave a concert in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

. In the audience was

Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria (4 December 1808 – 15 November 1888), known informally as Max in Bayern, was a member of a Duke in Bavaria, junior branch of the royal House of Wittelsbach who were Kings of Bavaria, and a promoter of Bavarian f ...

, then aged 29; he decided to learn to play the zither, appointing Petzmayer chamber virtuoso, and became his student. In 1838 Petzmayer accompanied the Duke to Egypt, Palestine, Asia Minor and Greece. The Duke became an accomplished player and published music for the zither.Herzog Maximilian
Wiener Zitherfreunde. Retrieved 25 April 2018. A critic described a concert given by Petzmayer in

Cannstatt Bad Cannstatt, also called Cannstatt (until July 23, 1933) or Kannstadt (until 1900), is one of the outer stadtbezirke, or city boroughs, of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Bad Cannstatt is the oldest and most populous of Stuttgart's ...

in 1844: "The actual basic colour of Petzmayer's playing is an idyllic mood, blended with an elegiac melancholy; he elicits from his homely instrument sounds whose sweetness, cordiality and soul penetrate all to the heart...." He invented the ', which is played with a bow. Petzmayer died in Munich in 1884.Petzmayer, Johann
Oesterreiches Musiklexikon online. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petzmayer, Johann 1803 births 1884 deaths Zither players Musicians from Vienna