Josef Pischna ( cs, Josef Pišna; 15 June 1826 – 19 October 1896) was a Czech

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and composer. Josef Pischna was born in near

Příbram Příbram (; german: Freiberg in Böhmen, ''Przibram'', or ''Pribram'', in 1939–1945 ''Pibrans'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. It is well known for its mining history, and mor ...

and studied

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...

from 1840 to 1846. He worked for thirty-five years as a pianist and piano teacher in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. Of his compositions, the ''60 Klavierübungen'' (''60 Exercices progressifs'' - 60 Piano Exercises) have commanded an abiding importance. They have appeared in several editions and been used up to the present time in piano teaching. The strong endorsement which the Pischna exercises have received from virtuosos and the wide use which has come to Der Kleine Pischna,: ''The Little Pischna'', (a set of remarkably fine easy technical exercises written by Wolff, a pupil of Pischna) have led to innumerable inquiries regarding the identity of Pischna. Josef Pischna was born at Iang Lhot Bohemia in 1826. In 1847 he graduated from the Royal Conservatory at Prague as an oboe player, however, as in all Continental schools, he was obliged to study piano in addition to the orchestral instrument. He also had the thorough training in harmony, counterpoint, musical history, etc., which is demanded before the student is permitted to graduate. Consequently, although he lost his identity in the orchestras in which he performed, he really was a very able and well trained musician. From Prague he went to Odessa, Russia, and became the conductor of a military band. Later he moved to Moscow, where he became Professor of Music in the endowed institute for young ladies of noble birth. There he remained for thirty-five years, playing piano practically all of this time. It was there that he had an opportunity to compose his technical exercises. Working carefully and slowly, he soon produced results which attracted wide attention. Pischna retired on a pension from the Russian government. Thereafter he lived in Prague taking a few private pupils. He died 19 October 1896 in Prague. Pischna's name in Bohemian was Pizny.''The Etude'' magazine vol.29 number 07, July 1911

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pischna, Josef 1826 births 1896 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical pianists Czech male classical composers Czech classical pianists Czech music educators Czech Romantic composers Male classical pianists 19th-century Czech male musicians