Josepha Barbara Auernhammer (25 September 1758 – 30 January 1820) was an Austrian

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, ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Biography

Auernhammer was born 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. ...

, the eleventh of fifteen children born to Johann Michael Auernhammer and Elisabeth (nee Timmer). Of the fifteen children, only three lived past the age of thirty. Auernhammer studied with, among others, Leopold Anton Kozeluch, and

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 ...

, who dedicated a number of works to her and with whom she performed a number of works that required four hands. On 27 June 1781, Mozart wrote of her: "Almost every day after dinner I am at H: v: Auernhammer's - The Miss is a monster! - plays delightfully though, however, she lacks the genuine fine and lilting quality of cantabile; she plucks too much." That year, Mozart dedicated his Violin Sonatas K. 296 and K. 376–80 to her. Auernhammer became a much-admired concert pianist and teacher throughout Vienna. She corrected the printing of several sonatas by Mozart, and her piano playing together with Mozart was described enthusiastically by

Abbé Stadler Maximilian Johann Karl Dominik Stadler, Abbé Stadler, born August 1748, in Melk – 8 November 1833, in Vienna), was an Austrian composer, musicologist and pianist. In 1766, he entered the Benedictine Monastery in Melk Abbey, where he served ...

. During a house concert in Vienna Passauerhof on 23 November 1781, she played Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos, K. 448 and the Double Concerto, K. 365. Further joint concert appearances took place in January 1782 and on 26 May 1782. After the death of her father, Mozart conveyed a housing at Countess Waldstätten's to Auernhammer which was located in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna. In 1786, she married Johann Bessenig (c. 1752 – 1837), with whom she had four children. She regularly participated in concerts in private venues and at the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

. Already on 25 March 1801, immediately after the work was finished, she played the Piano Concerto in C major, Op 15 by

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

. Her last public concert was on 21 March 1813, together with her daughter, Marianna Auenheim, who was a known voice teacher and pianist. Auernhammer wrote predominantly piano music, and especially variations which are characterized by extensive knowledge of pianistic techniques and artful use of the instrument.

Death

She died in Vienna, aged 61, in 1820. She was buried in

St. Marx Cemetery St. Marx Cemetery (Sankt Marxer Friedhof) is a cemetery in the Landstraße district of Vienna, used from 1784 until 1874. It contains the unmarked grave of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. History The cemetery was named after a nearby alm ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Auernhammer, Josepha Barbara 1758 births 1820 deaths Austrian women composers 18th-century women composers 19th-century Austrian women composers 19th-century Austrian composers 19th-century Austrian women writers Austrian classical pianists Composers from Vienna Austrian women classical pianists 18th-century Austrian composers Composers from the Austrian Empire