František Xaver Dušek ( or ''Dussek)''; 8 December 1731 – 12 February 1799) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

composer and one of the most important

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

ists and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

s of his time.

Biography

Dušek was born in Chotěborky, which is part of

Vilantice Vilantice is a municipality and village in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The co ...

, in the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

. He was taught the harpsichord in

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. ...

Georg Christoph Wagenseil Georg Christoph Wagenseil (29 January 1715 – 1 March 1777) was an Austrian composer. He was born in Vienna, and became a favorite pupil of the Vienna court's Kapellmeister, Johann Joseph Fux. Wagenseil himself composed for the court from 1739 ...

and established himself around 1770 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

as a successful keyboard teacher.

Wolfgang Amadeus 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 ...

was probably his guest in his Villa

Bertramka Bertramka () is a villa in Prague where Mozart was a frequent guest. Bertramka is now a museum dedicated to the memory of Mozart and to the former owners and Mozart’s hosts: Mr and Mrs Dušek. Bertramka is situated about a mile from the city cen ...

Košíře Košíře is a district of Prague, part of the municipal area Prague 5. It is situated in the valley of the Motol brook between the districts Smíchov and Motol. Košíře became a town in 1896 and was joined onto Prague in 1921. History Koš ...

, just outside Prague, although no documentation exists to support claims originating in nineteenth-century literature that he stayed there frequently. Mozart himself never reported staying there and no contemporary witness ever reported seeing him there. The best evidence that he ever stayed there comes from a reminiscence of Mozart's son Karl Thomas Mozart that dates from 1856 and indicates that he was at the Bertramka during his second visit to Prague (during October and November 1787). Karl Thomas was not himself a witness to the incident reported, rather he only heard about it from friends of Mozart whom he met as a child in Prague during the 1790s. Furthermore, there is no documentation to support widespread claims that Mozart completed the operas ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'' and ''

La clemenza di Tito (''The Clemency of Titus''), K. 621, is an ''opera seria'' in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro Metastasio. Mozart completed the work in the midst of composing ''Die Zauberfl ...

'' at the Bertramka, or indeed that he even worked on them there. Dušek died in

. He was a teacher of Mozart's son Karl Thomas, who became a gifted pianist, although he did not pursue a career in music. Dušek's wife Josepha Hambacher (7 March 1753 – 8 January 1824) had been taught by him and was a famous pianist and

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

. She sang important soprano roles in Mozart operas in early performances, and Mozart's concert aria " Bella mia fiamma" ( K. 528) was written for her. Dušek composed

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 ...

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individual ...

and

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

s for harpsichord and piano and several

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 ...

and

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. Much of his music is in the

galant The galant style was an 18th-century movement in music, visual arts and literature. In Germany a closely related style was called the '' empfindsamer Stil'' (sensitive style). Another close relative is rococo style. The galant style was drawn in ...

style of the early Classical period.

Tributes by other composers

The Austrian-Australian composer Eric Gross (1926–2011) wrote three suites for violin and orchestra, named ''Dussekiana I-III'', based on piano pieces of František Xaver Dussek.

List of compositions

Catalogue established by Václav Jan Sýkora.Václav Jan Sýkora. ''František Xaver Dušek. Život a dílo''. Prague, 1958. *S 1: Keyboard Sonata in B flat major *S 2: Keyboard Sonata in B flat major *S 3: Keyboard Sonata in E flat major *S 4: Keyboard Sonata in G major *S 5: 6 Keyboard Sonatinas *S 6: Keyboard Sonata in G major *S 7: Keyboard Sonata in G major *S 8: Keyboard Sonata in C major *S 9: Variations for keyboard in C major *S 10: Andante con menuetto for keyboard in G major *S 11: Pieces for keyboard *S 12: Keyboard Sonata in E flat major *S 13: Keyboard Sonata in F major *S 14: Keyboard Sonata in C major *S 15: Keyboard Sonata in A major *S 16: Keyboard Sonata in G major *S 17: Keyboard Sonata in F major *S 18: Keyboard Sonata in G major *S 19: Keyboard Sonata in D major *S 20: Variations for keyboard in G major *S 21: Variations for keyboard in A major *S 22: Variations for keyboard in B flat major *S 23: Variations for keyboard 4 hands in C major *S 24: Menuetto for keyboard 4 hands in C major *S 25: Sonata for keyboard 4 hands in C major *S 26: Sonata for keyboard 4 hands in E flat major *S 27: Sonata for keyboard 4 hands in G major *S 28: Sonata for keyboard 4 hands in C major *S 29: Sonata for keyboard 4 hands in C major *S 30: Sonata for keyboard 4 hands in G major *S 31: Variations for keyboard 4 hands in E flat major *S 32: Keyboard Trio in F major *S 33: Keyboard Trio in G major *S 34: Keyboard Trio in D major *S 35: Keyboard Quintet in G major *S 36: Keyboard Trio in E flat major *S 37: Keyboard Quartet in G major *S 38: Keyboard Concerto in G major *S 39: Keyboard Concerto in C major *S 40: Keyboard Concerto in E flat major *S 41: Keyboard Concerto in D major *S 42: Adagio for keyboard & orchestra in B flat major *S 43: Partita for 2 oboes & bassoon in G major *S 44: Partita for 2 oboes & bassoon in F major *S 45: Partita for 2 oboes & bassoon in G major *S 46: Partita for 2 oboes & bassoon in C major *S 47: Partita for 2 oboes & bassoon in C major *S 48: Partita for wind quintet in F major *S 49: Partita for wind quintet in D minor *S 50: Partita for wind quintet in A major *S 51: Partita for wind quintet in F major *S 52: Partita for wind quintet in G major *S 53: Partita for wind quintet in F major *S 54: Partita for wind sextet in G major *S 55: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 56: Partita for wind sextet in B flat major *S 57: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 58: Partita for wind sextet in G major *S 59: Partita for wind sextet in D major *S 60: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 61: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 62: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 63: Partita for wind sextet in C major *S 64: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 65: Partita for wind sextet in D major *S 66: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 67: Partita for wind sextet in D major *S 68: Partita for wind sextet in A major *S 69: Partita for wind sextet in D major *S 70: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 71: Partita for wind sextet in D major *S 72: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 73: Partita for wind sextet in D major *S 74: Partita for wind sextet in B flat major *S 75: Partita for wind sextet in B flat major *S 76: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 77: Partita for wind sextet in D major *S 78: Partita for wind sextet in A major *S 79: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 80: Partita for wind sextet in B flat major *S 81: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 82: Partita for wind sextet in A major *S 83: Partita for wind sextet in C major *S 84: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 85: Partita for wind sextet in B flat major *S 86: Partita for wind sextet in A major *S 87: Partita for wind sextet in C major *S 88: Partita for wind sextet in F major *S 89: Partita for wind sextet in B flat major *S 90: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in C major *S 91: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in D major *S 92: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in E flat major *S 93: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in B flat major *S 94: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in A major *S 95: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in G major *S 96: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in A major *S 97: Trio for 2 violins & continuo in B flat major *S 98: Divertimento a 3 in D major *S 99: Divertimento a 3 in A major *S 100: Divertimento a 3 in B flat major *S 101: Divertimento a 3 in A major *S 102: Divertimento a 3 in E major *S 103: Divertimento a 3 in E flat major *S 104: Divertimento a 3 in B flat major *S 105: Divertimento a 3 in E major *S 106: Divertimento a 3 in G major *S 107: Divertimento a 3 in C major *S 108: Divertimento a 3 in E flat major *S 109: Divertimento a 3 in B flat major *S 110: Divertimento a 3 in A major *S 111: Noturno for 2 violins & continuo in A minor *S 112: Serenata a 3 in A major *S 113: Divertimento a 4 in A major *S 114: Divertimento a 4 in E major *S 115: Divertimento a 4 in B flat major *S 116: Divertimento a 4 in B flat major *S 117: Divertimento a 4 in C major *S 118: Divertimento a 4 in A major *S 119: Divertimento a 4 in B flat major *S 120: Divertimento a 4 in A major *S 121: Divertimento a 4 in A major *S 122: Divertimento a 4 in A major *S 123: Divertimento a 4 in C major *S 124: Divertimento a 4 in A major *S 125: Divertimento a 4 in E flat major *S 126: Quadro in G major *S 127: Quadro in A major *S 128: Quadro in E major *S 129: Quadro in G major *S 130: Quadro in B flat major *S 131: Quadro in B flat major *S 132: Quadro in E major *S 133: Serenata a 4 in C major *S 134: Serenade in E flat major *S 135: Divertimento a 5 in D major *S 136: Divertimento a 5 in E flat major *S 137: Serenade in F major *S 138: Serenade in D major *S 139: Symphony in E flat major (Altner Es 6) *S 140: Symphony in F major (Altner F 8) *S 141: Symphony in G major (Altner G 1) *S 142: Symphony in D major (Altner D 4) *S 143: Symphony in F major (Altner F 1) *S 144: Symphony in B flat major (Altner B 1) *S 145: Symphony in E major (Altner E 1) *S 146: Symphony in D major (Altner D 5) *S 147: Symphony in F major (Altner F 2) *S 148: Symphony in C major (Altner C 1) *S 149: Symphony in D major (Altner D 6) *S 150: Symphony in E flat major (Altner Es 1) *S 151: Symphony in G major (Altner G 4) *S 152: Symphony in F major (Altner F 3) *S 153: Symphony in D major (Altner D 7) *S 154: Symphony in D major (Altner D 8) *S 155: Symphony in D major (Altner D 9) *S 156: Symphony in B flat major (Altner B 5) *S 157: Symphony in E flat major (Altner Es 2) *S 158: Symphony in D major (Altner D10) *S 159: Symphony in F major (Altner F 7) *S 160: Symphony in G major (Altner G 3) *S 161: Symphony in A major (Altner A 3) *S 162: Symphony in E flat major (Altner Es 5) *S 163: Symphony in A major (Altner A 1) *S 164: Symphony in C major (Altner C 2) *S 165: Symphony in D major (Altner D 2) *S 166: Symphony in F major (Altner F 6) *S 167: Symphony in D major (Altner D 1) *S 168: Symphony in G major (Altner G 2) *S 169: Symphony in E flat major (Altner Es 4) *S 170: Symphony in D major (Altner D11) *S 171: Symphony in B flat major (Altner B 3) *S 172: Symphony in F major (Altner F 4) *S 173: Symphony in A major (Altner A 2) *S 174: Symphony in E flat major (Altner Es 3) *S 175: Symphony in D major (Altner D 3) *S 176: Symphony in B flat major (Altner B 2) *S 177: Symphony in F major (Altner F 5) *S 178: Symphony in B flat major (Altner B 4) *S 179: 13 Menuets *S 180: March in D major *S 181: Kurze Anweisung für das Violoncello (lost) *S 182: Lieder für Kinder und Kinderfreunde *S 183: Mass in G major *S 184: Mass in C major *S 185: Requiem in E flat major *S 186: Pange lingua in C major *S 187: Cantilena funeralis in B flat major *S 188: Missa pastoralis in D major *S 189: Missa de Nativitate in D major (lost) *S 190: Pastorella in G major *S 191: 2 sacred arias for bass *S 192: Offertorium in C major *S 193: Pange lingua in D major *S 194: Te Deum in D major *S 195: Keyboard Sonata in D major (Antonio Duschek) *S 196: Violin Concerto in D major (lost) (Benjamin Duschek) *S 197: Violin Concerto in A major (lost) (Benjamin Duschek) *S 198: Keyboard Sonata in F major (F.F. Dussek) *S 199: Serenade in E flat major (F. Duseck) *S 200: Moses in Egypten (lost) (Franz Dussek) *S 201: Sonata for keyboard & violin (lost) (Franz Dussek) *S 202: Notturno for 3 flutes (lost) (Franz Joseph Dussek) *S

deest Deest is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Druten, and lies about 9 km south of Wageningen. History It was first mentioned in 814 as T(h)esta (CL I, no. 101) and 997 as Dheste. The etymolo ...

: Symphony in A major (Altner A 4) (lost)

References

Bibliography

* Freeman, Daniel E. ''Mozart in Prague''. Minneapolis: Calumet Editions, 2021.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dussek, Frantisek Xaver 1731 births 1799 deaths People from Trutnov District 18th-century classical composers 18th-century male musicians 18th-century musicians from Bohemia Classical-period composers from Bohemia Czech male classical composers Czech classical pianists Czech harpsichordists 18th-century keyboardists Czech male classical pianists Pupils of Georg Christoph Wagenseil