Dlabacž's Biographical Sketch: "Wanhal, Johann Baptiste"
See End Notes10
This in every respect great and estimable musical artist was born at Nechanicz in Bohemia on May 12, 1739. Because of the unusual talent for music he displayed in his early youth, and also so that he could learn the German language, his father sent him to Marscherdorf. There he received instruction from a certain Kozák in both music and other necessary fields of knowledge. By his own admission, however, his best teacher was Anton Erban, an outstandingly good musician in Nechanicz. Under Erban’s tutelage, especially in playing the organ, he progressed so well that as a youth of 13 he acquired the post of organist in Opocžna and soon thereafter became choir director in the town of Niemežowes [actually Hnevčeves]. At that time he already played violin as well as organ concertos of his own composition. Because of his unusual musical talent he developed a very good reputation in Hnevčeves and the favor of the Dechant [an important church leader], Mathias Nowák, an excellent master of the violin, who especially esteemed him and emphatically encouraged him to still greater enterprise. Following the urging of Nowák, his patron, Wanhal intensified his practice of the violin earnestly and even more determinedly than before. This daily practice so encouraged him that he wrote several concertos and solos for his instrument. The rapid progress of our young artist impressed the owners of the land [the family Schaffgotsch]. As a result the Countess Schaffgotsch summoned him to Vienna in 1760. Here she arranged for instruction by Schleger [Schleyer]11 with whose teaching Wanhal was not at all satisfied; therefore he began to study the scores of the greatest masters on his own. In a short time, because of his skill in composition, he developed such a good reputation in the most imposing circles that he was asked to give lessons in keyboard, singing, and violin to members of the upper nobility. In this manner he acquired sufficient means to purchase his freedom from the bondage which was still customary at that time. He realized, however, that in order to perfect himself in his profession he needed to master the Italian language as well as to develop further his aesthetic understanding of the style of the Italian masters. Therefore, with the financial support of one of his most generous patrons, the Freiherr Riesch, he traveled to Italy. Thus, he visited Venice, Bologna, Ferrara, Florence, Naples, Rome and other cities of this land, so interesting for the musical art. There he studied composition after the best models and also wrote a number of musical works. In Rome he met Florian Gassmann, musical director to the Viennese Court, for whose operas he himself [Wanhal] wrote some arias, and with whom he returned to Vienna after the completion of two years. But scarcely had he arrived back in Vienna when he was overcome by a mental depression [Gemüthskrankheit] which hinder-ed his work not a little. Nonetheless, he made some successful experiments in composition which the famous Englishman, Charles Burney, reports on page 23 of the diary of his musical travels: "The second half of the Dresden concert given under the direction of Signor Bezozzi at the residence of Mr. Osborn began with an incomparable symphony by Wanhal—a work which his inflamed spirit had brought forth in those happy moments when his reason exerted less influence than his emotions. Since the recovery of this excellent artist we have experienced various great works from him which have been performed by the most numerous [practically all] orchestras, and have contributed greatest fame to him. Indeed, since that time, he has travelled several times to Hungary and Croatia at the invitation of Count [Erdödy], at whose request he composed a great oratorio on the Passion of Jesus Christ, as well as a large number of masses, litanies, motets, arias, and other items of church music. His musical pieces had from the beginning the distinction that one found them to express not only nobility and solidity, but also delicacy and melodiousness. Even now, his musical works have qualities akin to his disposition, which, because of the honesty and gentleness of his character and his agreeable associations with others, has always earned him the esteem and love of all. He has already lived in Vienna for more than 50 years, so his day by day increasing age has [in recent years] prevented him from working on larger works. Therefore, he has mainly occupied himself with teaching young musical nobility and publishing various keyboard compositions for the use of his students, of whom he has guided several to uncommonly good progress in playing the piano and in composition. The public has, from time to time, received from him a considerable number of very beautiful piano sonatas, variations, caprices, concertos, and other essays which have been accorded the undivided approbation of all connoisseurs as well as amateurs. I myself came to appreciate his merit when I was in Vienna in 1795 and enjoyed almost daily friendly association with him. I found in him at once a great musician, a zealous Christian, a true patriot, a warm and noble friend, and an affectionate father to suffering mankind. The aristocratic musical Viennese public will probably in the course of time transmit to posterity further happy traits of his character which his extraordinary modesty has not allowed me to reveal. He died in Vienna in the year 1813. See Gerber’s Lexikon, my essay in Riegger’s Statistik von Böhmen [vol. 12, p 291] and Meusel’s Künstler-lexikon of 1809 [vol. 2, pp 473 and 477]. His musical genius has produced the following works. (Dlabacž’s catalog followed.)
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