Thaddäus Huber (8 May 1742 – 27 February 1798) was an Austrian violinist and composer.

Life

Huber was born in Niederhollabrunn in

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

; his father was a farmer and amateur violinist. Having musical ability, he joined at age ten the choir of

Klosterneuburg Monastery Klosterneuburg Abbey () is a twelfth-century Augustinian monastery of the Catholic Church located in the town of Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria. Overlooking the Danube, just north of the present Vienna city limits at the Leopoldsberg, the monas ...

. He later went to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, where he attended the Jesuit seminary and was a member of the boy's choir at the '' Hofkapelle''. He entered

Viktring Abbey Viktring Abbey (, ) is a former Cistercians, Cistercian monastery in the Austrian state of Carinthia (state), Carinthia. It is now a Roman Catholic parish, since 1973 a district of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt. History Viktring Abbey was est ...

, where he took over church music. For health reasons he returned to Vienna and, encouraged by his father, he renounced his status as a cleric."Huber, Thaddäus"
''Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon online''. Retrieved 7 September 2021. In Vienna he became a violinist in the

court theatre A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts general ...

. For many years he was a violinist at the Schottenkirche. He was a founder member in 1771 of the Tonkünstler-Societät, and was secretary of the society for several years. In 1789 he became first violin in the ''Hofkapelle''. His compositions were highly regarded by

Joseph 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 his string quartets were played in the afternoon chamber music gatherings of

Emperor Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

. Huber died in Vienna in 1798;

Gottfried van Swieten Gottfried Freiherr van Swieten (29 October 1733 – 29 March 1803) was a Dutch-born Austrian diplomat, librarian, and government official who served the Holy Roman Empire during the 18th century. He was an enthusiastic amateur musician and is be ...

bought his musical estate.

Works

Huber's compositions include symphonies, string quartets, divertimenti and string trios.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huber, Thaddäus 1742 births 1798 deaths 18th-century composers Austrian composers 18th-century violinists Austrian classical violinists