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Wenzel Pressburg (1824-1906).

  • Profession: Teacher, pianist, composer.
  • Relation to Mahler: Teacher in Jihlava. See Music education Gustav Mahler in Jihlava.
  • Correspondence with Mahler:
  • Born: 1824 Vienna, Austria.
  • Died: 1906
  • Buried:

He taught Gustav Mahler piano and music theory. Pressburg, a Viennese, was a pedagogue and prolific composer of waltzes: a man, it seems, of doubtful artistic integrity, though in 1883 he requested and received from Mahler a document testifying to his abilities as a teacher, conductor and pianist to be used, no doubt, to bolster an unspectacular career.

1870 Concert Jihlava 13-10-1870 (First concert, piano).

“On 13-10-1870 there was, by way of an exception, an Abonnement suspendu, the reason being that a nine year-old boy, the son of a local Jewish tradesman named Mahler, was to be heard for the first time playing the piano before a large audience. The great success the future virtuoso achieved with his audience did him honour; one could only wish that for his excellent playing he had had an equally good instrument at his service. If the young artist’s former teacher, Herr Kapellmeister Viktorin, hears of yesterday’s success, he can certainly be pleased with his protege.”

This report, which appeared on 16-10-1870, was followed on 20-10-1870 by a public vote of thanks to, and recommendation of, Wenzel Pressburg, which was inserted into Der Vermittler by Bernard Mahler (1827-1889). Clearly Pressburg was annoyed that only his pupil’s former teacher had been mentioned in the report of the concert, and had asked Bernard Mahler to redress the balance.

Year 1870. 20-10-1870 Wenzel Pressburg (1824-1906) in newspaper.

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