HUMMEL,. IMMTVMel. JOHANN NEPOMUK (1778-1837). A distinguished Austrian pianist and composer, born at Pressburg and educated primarily by his father, who was a music teacher. When but eight years of age he accom panied his father to Vienna on the appointment of the latter as kapellmeister of Schikaneder's Theatre. Here he came under the notice of Mozart. who became so interested in the boy that he admitted him to his own family and instructed him for two years. This dant in 1787 was also under the auspices of Mozart. Next followed a number of very successful tours through Ger many, Denmark. England, and Holland. Prob ably no other musician in the entire history of music had so distinguished a number of teachers and patrons as Hummel. Beginning with Mozart, his next teacher was Cleinenti. with whom he stud ied in London during 1791. followed by a course of study in composition under Albreehtsberger in Vienna (1793), while at the same time he was studying with Salieri in dramatic writing, and re ceiving much indirect, but nevertheless profit able, advice and instruction from the great Haydn. His entire career was marked by success and the appreciation of the public; so much so that at one time he was considered to rival Beethoven. His principal appointments were as follows: From 1804 to 1611, deputy kapellincister under Haydn in the service of Prince Eszterhazy; 1811-16, a successful teacher of composition in Vienna; kapellmeister to the Court of Stuttgart 1816-19, when he resigned to take a similar position at Weimar. None
of these appointments interfered with his con cert activities, for during his many leaves of absence he appeared in Saint Petersburg (1822), in Paris (1825), Belgium and Holland (1826), Vienna (1827), Warsaw (1828), and made a return visit to France in 1829. He appeared in London, and was for a season the musical di rector of German opera at the King's Theatre. From this time on his health gradually failed, and after much suffering be died at 1Veiniar. lie was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. and during his lifetime received many tokens of princely favor. As a pianist he ranked with the most famous of his generation, and as a com poser was of scarcely less excellence. His com positions number over a hundred, and include operas, cantatas, ballets, and considerable cham ber music. For the Church, he wrote three masses arranged for four voices with orchestral and organ accompaniment, which are still held in high esteem. His Graduale and Offertorium are in use to-day throughout Austria and Hun gary. At least six of his concertos and a few of his sonatas remain standard works, and arc in constant demand. He is of importance in the history of music, if only because of his efforts to introduce the present method of fingering in pianoforte study.