Emanuel Aloys Förster
Encyclopedia
Emanuel Aloys Förster (26 January, 1748, November 12, 1823), was a composer
and music teacher, who spent most of his life in Vienna
, Austria
.
(at that time in the Austrian Empire
).
Almost nothing is known of his family or parents except that his father was an administrator in an economics office. From his early youth, Emanuel composed several concerto
s and many sonata
s purely from his correct musical ear. He acquired only later a copy of a theoretical work by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
(probably Versuch über die wahre Art das Klavier zu spielen, "Essay on the true art of keyboard playing"), which he copied out. When he had left school he went to work for some years in his father's office, and then he was called up into the Prussia
n army and spent the last two years of the Seven Years War as an oboist in the "Fouquet'schen Regiment". After that (around 1763) he went to Mittelwalde where he lived in the intimate circle of, and studied with, the (at that time) famous organist Johann Georg Pausewang. Probably through his agency, Förster went to Prague from 1776-79, after which he settled in Vienna, where he worked as a composer and music teacher. Through his marriage to Eleonore von Reczka, he developed contacts to the Viennese aristocracy, which furthered his reputation.
In Vienna, he became friends with Mozart and Haydn, while his students included Louis Niedermeyer
and Franz Pechacek. Through Prince Karl Lichnowsky, he met Ludwig van Beethoven
; the composer, 22 years his junior, appreciated his talents and recommended students to him, including Andreas Rasumofsky and Charles Neate. Förster's compositions were often played, along with those of Beethoven and Haydn, by the legendary Schuppanzigh Quartet.
In addition to his compositions, he wrote an "Introduction to the Figured Bass," a treatise for composition students.
Förster and Eleonore had five children. Their daughter Eleonore (b. 1799) became a renowned pianist who herself composed variations for piano, violin, viola and cello; she married a Count Conti in 1823. Her brother Joseph, a year younger, was also a pianist and cellist. Förster's daughter Michaelina married the violinist Pietro Rovelli (1793-1838).
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and music teacher, who spent most of his life in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Early life
Emanuel Aloys Förster was born in Niedersteine bei Glatz in SilesiaSilesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
(at that time in the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
).
Almost nothing is known of his family or parents except that his father was an administrator in an economics office. From his early youth, Emanuel composed several concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s and many sonata
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
s purely from his correct musical ear. He acquired only later a copy of a theoretical work by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
right|250pxCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and second son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach...
(probably Versuch über die wahre Art das Klavier zu spielen, "Essay on the true art of keyboard playing"), which he copied out. When he had left school he went to work for some years in his father's office, and then he was called up into the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n army and spent the last two years of the Seven Years War as an oboist in the "Fouquet'schen Regiment". After that (around 1763) he went to Mittelwalde where he lived in the intimate circle of, and studied with, the (at that time) famous organist Johann Georg Pausewang. Probably through his agency, Förster went to Prague from 1776-79, after which he settled in Vienna, where he worked as a composer and music teacher. Through his marriage to Eleonore von Reczka, he developed contacts to the Viennese aristocracy, which furthered his reputation.
In Vienna, he became friends with Mozart and Haydn, while his students included Louis Niedermeyer
Louis Niedermeyer
Abraham Louis Niedermeyer was a composer chiefly of church music but also of a few operas, and a teacher who took over the Ecole Choron, duly renamed École Niedermeyer, a school for the study and practice of church music, where several eminent French musicians studied including Gabriel Fauré and...
and Franz Pechacek. Through Prince Karl Lichnowsky, he met Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
; the composer, 22 years his junior, appreciated his talents and recommended students to him, including Andreas Rasumofsky and Charles Neate. Förster's compositions were often played, along with those of Beethoven and Haydn, by the legendary Schuppanzigh Quartet.
In addition to his compositions, he wrote an "Introduction to the Figured Bass," a treatise for composition students.
Förster and Eleonore had five children. Their daughter Eleonore (b. 1799) became a renowned pianist who herself composed variations for piano, violin, viola and cello; she married a Count Conti in 1823. Her brother Joseph, a year younger, was also a pianist and cellist. Förster's daughter Michaelina married the violinist Pietro Rovelli (1793-1838).