JOHANN GEORG

ALBRECHTSBERGER (1736–2849)  ,,, Austrian musician, was born at Kloster-Neuburg, near Vienna, on the 3rd of February 1736 . He studied musical composition under the court organist, Mann, and became one of the most learned and skilful contrapuntists of his age . After ,being employed as organist at Raab and Maria-Taferl, he was appointed in 1772 organist to the court of Vienna,' and in 1792 Kapellmeisler of St Stephen's cathedral . His fame as a theorist attracted. to him in the Austrian capital a large; number of pupils, some of whom afterwards became eminent musicians . Among these were Beethoven, Hummel, Moscheles and Josef Weigl (17:66–1846) . Albrechtsberger died in Vienna on the 7th of March 1809 . , Pis published compositions consist of preludes, fugues and sonatas for the piano and organ, string quartets, &c.; but the greater proportion of his works, vocal and instrumental, exists only in manuscript . They are in the library of the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde . Probably the most valuable service he rendered to music was in his theoretical works . In, 1790 ,he published at Leipzig a treatise on composition, of which,a third edition appeared in 1821 . A collection of his writings on harmony, in three volumes, was published under the care of his pupil Ignaz von Seyfried (1776–1841) in 1826 . There is an English version of this published by Novello in 1855 .

Beethoven knew his own needs when he put himself under Albrechtsberger on finding that

Haydn was not thoroughly disposed for the trouble of training him; and though Albrechtsberger could see nothing in him, and warned his other pupils against" that young man who would never turn out anything ingood style," he justified Beethoven's, confidence .