Joseph Woelfl

Joseph Johann Baptist Woelfl was an Austrian pianist and composer of the late Classical period.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article on Joseph Woelfl.

From the period sources

Joseph Woelfl, a pupil of Leopold Mozart and Michael Haydn in Salzburg, embarked on a notable career as a pianist and composer, first appearing in Warsaw between 1792 and 1794 (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1905). After settling in Vienna, he found moderate success as a stage composer, producing light pieces such as Der Hollenberg (1797) and Das schone Milchmadchen (1797). As a pianist, Woelfl was a friendly rival to Beethoven, distinguishing himself with “enormous hands and great contrapuntal skill” (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1905).

His extensive tours took him through major European cities, including Prague, Leipzig, Berlin, and Hamburg, where his “brilliant performances” were met with astonishment and admiration, according to A History of Pianoforte-Playing and Pianoforte-Literature (1897). A telling anecdote from Prague recounts Woelfl transposing a difficult piano concerto into C-sharp major on the spot when his piano was found to be tuned a semitone too low, astonishing the entire orchestra (A History of Pianoforte-Playing and Pianoforte-Literature, 1897). He later achieved immense success in Paris and maintained considerable popularity during his seven years in London, where he produced his own piano concertos, a symphony, and two ballets, La surprise de Diane and Alzire, both with “considerable success” (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1905). Woelfl also taught piano to several notable students, including Joseph Bottomley, Richard Cudmore, and John Feltham Danneley, and composition to Charles Neate (Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1886; Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1888, 1890).