Josef Proksch (composer)

Josef Proksch

Josef Proksch (born August 4, 1794 in Reichenberg ; † December 20, 1864 in Prague ) was a German-Bohemian pianist , organist , composer and piano teacher, brother of Anton Proksch (1804–1866).

Life

He went blind at the age of thirteen. Proksch was a pupil of the Prague Institute for the Blind from 1809–1816, while at the same time intensive training as a pupil of Jan Antonín Koželuh ; Afterwards extensive concert tours abroad, in 1825 a music school was founded in Reichenberg.

In 1830 he opened the Music Education Institute in Prague . The teaching method he used of several students playing the piano simultaneously was continued for more than a hundred years and was imitated throughout the monarchy. His most famous piano and music theory student was Bedřich Smetana . He was an important patron of the Prague musical life of his time.

In addition to several textbooks for piano lessons, Josef Proksch wrote a concerto for three pianos, piano sonatas, masses and cantatas and arranged numerous orchestral works for four to eight pianos for use in lessons.

His son Norbert Ludwig Proksch organized the opening of the city theater in Reichenberg in 1883. His daughter Marie Proksch became known as a pianist and composer.

Fonts

• Attempt of a rational teaching method in pianoforte playing , 1841–64, simultaneously in Czech as Velka klavirni skola , 50 Tlc, 1894
• General music theory (2nd department 1957)
• Aphorisms about Catholic church music together with a historical overview of Gregorian chant . Prague: Bellmann 1858
• The art of the ensemble in pianoforte play , 7 volumes, 1859
• Compositions: masses, hymns, graduals, cantatas and songs, incidental music

literature

• Ferdinand Seibt , Hans Lemberg , Helmut Slapnicka: Biographical lexicon on the history of the Bohemian countries. Published on behalf of the Collegium Carolinum (Institute) , Vol. III, R. Oldenbourg Verlag Munich 2000, ISBN 3-486-55973-7 , p. 339
• Constantin von Wurzbach : Proksch, Joseph . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 24th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1872, pp. 8–10 ( digitized version ).
• Rudolf Müller:  Proksch, Joseph . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 26, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, pp. 646-661.
• Rudolf Müller: Joseph Proksch, biographical monument erected from his estate papers , Reichenberg 1874. (rare)
• A. Myslík:  Proksch Josef. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 8, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1983, ISBN 3-7001-0187-2 , p. 304.
• Undine Wagner: The work of Josef Proksch (1794-1864) for the Handel reception in Prague in the 19th century . In: Klaus Hortschansky (Hrsg.): Georg Friedrich Handel - a purpose in life. Commemorative letter for Bernd Baselt (1934-1993) . Handel-Haus et al., Halle (Saale) et al. 1995, ISBN 3-910019-09-9 , ( writings of the Handel-Haus in Hall 11), pp. 227–240.

Web links

• Literature and other media by and about Josef Proksch (composer) in the catalog of the National Library of the Czech Republic
• Works by and about Josef Proksch in the catalog of the German National Library