Paul Wranitzky (Czech: Pavel Vranický; 30 December 1756 – 29 September 1808) was a

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

n-Austrian classical

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. His half brother,

Antonín Antonin, Antonín, and Antoñín are masculine given names. Antonín, a Czech name in use in the Czech Republic, and Antonin, a French name in use in France, and French-speaking countries, are both considered alternate forms of Antonino. Antoñí ...

, was also a composer.

Life

Wranitzky was born in Neureisch (

Nová Říše Nová Říše (; ) is a market town in Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants. Geography Nová Říše is located about south of Jihlava. It lies in the Křižanov Highlands. The highest point ...

) in

Habsburg Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. He studied at the Faculty of Theology of University of Olomouc and later a theological seminary in Vienna. At age 20, like so many other Czech composers of that period, he moved to Vienna to seek out opportunities within the Austrian imperial capital. From 1790, he conducted both royal theater orchestras. He was highly respected by

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

and

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

; the latter two preferred him as

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

of their new works (e.g., Beethoven's First Symphony in 1800). Wranitzky was a prolific composer. His output comprises ten

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, 44

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

, at least 56

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s (some sources give a number as high as 73) and a large amount of other

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

. His opera, ''Oberon – The Fairy King'' from 1789 was a favorite in this genre and inspired

Emanuel Schikaneder Emanuel Schikaneder (born Johann Joseph Schickeneder; 1 September 1751 – 21 September 1812) was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer, and composer. He wrote the libretto of Mozart's opera ''Die Zauberflöte'' and was the builder of th ...

to write the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

of ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'' for Mozart in 1791; in the mid-1790s,

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

sought to collaborate with Wranitzky on a sequel to the Mozart opera. Today, Wranitzky is identified as being one of three possible composers said to have composed the Austrian national anthem (the identity of the actual composer is not definitively known). In 1797, four years after the execution of Louis XVI, Wranitzky wrote ''Grand Characteristic Symphony for the Peace with the French Republic,'' which includes the "Funeral March on the Execution of Louis XVI". Wranitzky died in Vienna on 29 September 1808. Beethoven wrote ''Variations on a Russian Dance'' (WoO 71), based on a theme in Wranitzky's ballet ''Das Waldmädchen'' (''The Forest Maiden'').

Views of later scholars

Although some scholars believe that he studied with Haydn, there is no proof of this. However, it is certain that he studied and was influenced by Haydn's string quartets. As with Haydn, Wranitzky's quartet writing went through many stages of development beginning with the pre-classical and evolving to the finished

sonata In music a sonata (; pl. ''sonate'') literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms until th ...

form of late Viennese classicism. The majority of his quartets are in three movements; many share the qualities of the Parisian ''

quatuor concertant {{No footnotes, date=January 2014 The quatuor concertant is a special form of string quartet that developed in Paris around 1775 and became one of the leading genres of Parisian music until the French Revolution. Name The name "quatuor concerta ...

'', with virtuoso writing in all four parts. In these works, he explored the emerging Romantic style with (for the time) daring harmonic progressions, theatrical gestures and virtuoso display. Based on the ten Wranitzky quartets he has studied, music historian and

Anton Reicha Anton (Antonín, Antoine) Joseph Reicha (Rejcha) (26 February 1770 – 28 May 1836) was a Czech-born, Bavarian-educated, later naturalization, naturalized French composer and music theorist. A contemporary and lifelong friend of Ludwig van Be ...

scholar

Ron Drummond Ronald N. Drummond (born 1959 in Seattle, Washington) is a writer, editor, and independent scholar. Writer Ron Drummond is the author of "The Sonic Rituals of Pauline Oliveros"; "The Frequency of Liberation", a critical fiction about the novels ...

writes, "I can safely and with absolute confidence say that Wranitzky's achievement as a composer of string quartets is a greater achievement, overall, than Mozart's. Lest that statement be misunderstood, let me clarify: it's simply that Wranitzky's output dwarfs Mozart's, and the quality of each man's (mature) productions is so superb that Wranitzky wins by sheer numbers." Writing about Wranitzky's music in the last part of the 19th century, the Belgian critic and musicologist

François-Joseph Fétis François-Joseph Fétis (; 25 March 1784 – 26 March 1871) was a Belgian musicologist, critic, teacher and composer. He was among the most influential music intellectuals in continental Europe. His enormous compilation of biographical data in the ...

recalled, "The music of Wranitzky was in fashion when it was new because of his natural melodies and brilliant style. He treats the orchestra well, especially in symphonies. I recall that, in my youth, his works held up very well in comparison with those of Haydn. Their premature abandonment of today has been for me a source of astonishment."

Works

Stage works

Operas *''Die gute Mutter'' (Johann Baptist von Alxinger, Vienna, 1795) *''Das Maroccanische Reich oder Die unterirdischen Schätze'' (1795) *''Die Dienstpflicht'' (s.a.) Operettas *''Das Fest der Lazaronen'' (

Joachim Perinet Joachim Perinet (20 October 1763 – 4 April 1816) was an Austrian actor and dramatist. He is regarded as one of the founders of ("Old Viennese Folk Theatre"). Life Perinet was born in Vienna in 1763, the son of a merchant. His biographer in ''All ...

, Vienna, 1794) Singspiele *''Oberon, König der Elfen'' (libretto by Friederike S. Seyler, extensively revised by

Karl Ludwig Giesecke Carl Ludwig Giesecke FRSE (6 April 1761 in Augsburg – 5 March 1833 in Dublin) was a German actor, librettist, polar explorer and mineralogist. In his youth he was called Johann Georg Metzler; in his later career in Ireland he was Sir Charl ...

. Vienna, 1789) *''Der dreifache Liebhaber'' (Vienna, 1791) *''Rudolph von Felseck'' (J. Korompay, Vienna, 1792) *''Merkur, der Heiratstifter, oder Der Geiz im Geldkasten'' (Vienna, 1793) *''Die Post-Station oder Die unerwartete Zusammenkunft'' (S.F. Künster, 1793) *''Der Schreiner'' (

August von Kotzebue August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue (, ; – ) was a German playwright, who had also worked as a Russian diplomat. In 1817, one of Kotzebue's books was burned during the Wartburg festival. He was murdered in 1819 by Karl Ludwig Sand, a ...

, Vienna, 1799) *''Die drei Buckligen'' (Warsaw, 1808) Other types of opera works * ''quadro musicale romantico'': ''Johanna von Montfaucon'' (August von Kotzebue, Vienna, 1799) * ''Liedspiel'': ''Das Mitgefühl'' (

Friedrich Treitschke Georg Friedrich Treitschke (; 29 August 1776 – 4 June 1842) was a German librettist, translator and lepidopterist. In 1800, he came to the Vienna Hofoper. From 1809 to 1814, he was principal of the Viennese Theater an der Wien. He wrote mo ...

, Vienna, 1804) * ''divertissement'': ''Das Picknick der Götter'' (Schönbrunn, 1804); ''Die Erkenntlichkeit'' (Vienna, 1804) * ''travestimenti-melologhi'': ''Medea''; ''Macbeth'' Ballets *''Die Weinlese'' (Vienna, 1794) *''Zephir und Flora'' (Vienna, 1795) *''Das Waldmädchen'' (Vienna, 1796) *''Die Luftfahrer'' (Vienna, 1797) *''Cyrus and Tomyris'' (1797) *''Die Waise der Berghöhle'' (Vienna, 1810) *''Walmir und Gertraud'' (ca. 1800) *''Das Urteil des Paris'' (Vienna, 1801) *''Der Raub der Sabinerinnen'' (Vienna, 1804) *''Zufriedenheit mehr als Reichtum'' (Vienna, 1805) *''Zelina und Gorano'' (Vienna, 1806) Theatre music *''Rollas Tod'' (August von Kotzebue, Vienna, 1795) *''Achmet und Zenide'' (

August Wilhelm Iffland August Wilhelm Iffland (19 April 175922 September 1814) was a German actor and dramatic author. Life Born in Hanover, his father intended him to be a clergyman, but Iffland preferred the stage, and at eighteen ran away to Gotha in order to pre ...

) *''Jolantha'' *''Die Rache'' *''Siri-Brahe''

Other works

*1 cantata *56 symphonies: 29 published symphonies, 27 symphonies in manuscripts *3 piano sonatas *1 ''Missa'' Concertos * Violin Concerto in C * Violin Concerto in D * Violin Concerto in F * Violin Concerto in G * Cello Concerto in C, Op. 27 * Flute Concerto in D, Op. 24/Op. 1 * Oboe Concerto in G * Concertante for Flute and Oboe in C, Op. 39 * Concertino for Oboe and Cello in D (lost) * Concerto for Two Flutes in G (lost) Other orchestra works *Overture, ''Divertimenti'', ''Tafelmusik'', dances Chamber Music *String Trio in G Major, Op. 3 No. 3 (recorded by The Vivaldi Project on MSR Classics 1623) *Quartets, quintets, etc.

References

External links

Opera composers: W

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

The Wranitzky Project
– includes biography, catalogue of works and sheet music
Biography
*

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