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Johann Kaspar Mertz

Browse piano sheets by Johann Kaspar Mertz on Zen Virtual Piano. Mertz was born in Pressburg on the Lorenzertorgasse, on August 17, 1806. The intended name was Kaspar Joseph Mertz; Johann Kaspar was noted by mistake. He had lessons in violin, cello and guitar in Pressburg and later trained himself, and by the age of twelve he was already giving guitar and flute lessons. A teacher of guitar and flute at twelve, who later taught himself, suggests a musician who learned and taught early. He lived in Pressburg until 1840 and took part in the city's music life, mainly through the Pressburger Kirchenmusikverein at St. Martin's Cathedral, where he appeared regularly at its academies and in 1840 became its archivist. Empress Karoline Auguste appointed him court guitarist after a successful performance at the Royal Theatre in 1840. The next year brought numerous concert trips across Europe, and his marriage to the pianist Josephine Plantin. A year that brought a court post, a marriage and a tour across Europe looks like the point where his career widened. In spring 1843 he settled in Vienna as a music teacher, giving lessons in singing, guitar and mandolin, and his wife worked mainly as a teacher of singing and piano and occasionally appeared with him. His editors pushed him toward a simpler style for a wider audience, against his will, and later he refused to have his works published. An editor's call for simpler music, set against his own wishes, hints at a gap between what he wrote and what the public could buy. His Bardenklänge, character pieces in the mould of Schumann, are probably his most significant addition to the guitar repertoire, along with the fantasias La rimembranza, Pensée fugitive and Harmonie du soir, seen as a trilogy and clearly inspired by Liszt's piano music. Late in life he won first prize for the best guitar composition, a Concertino, at a European competition held in Brussels in 1856 and organized by Nikolay Petrovich Makarov. A prize in Brussels in the last year of his life and a repertoire that looks to Schumann and Liszt give the later part of the story a sense of recognition.

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Russisches Zigeunerlied Und Thüringer Volkslied, Op.88

Johann Kaspar Mertz

Intermediate

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Who was Johann Kaspar Mertz?

Johann Kaspar Mertz, meant to be named Kaspar Joseph Mertz, was a guitarist and composer born on August 17, 1806, in Pressburg.

What are the Bardenklänge?

A series of character pieces in the mould of Schumann, probably his most significant addition to the guitar repertoire.

Where did Mertz settle?

In spring 1843 he settled in Vienna as a music teacher, giving lessons in singing, guitar and mandolin.

What prize did Mertz win in 1856?

He was awarded the first prize for the best guitar composition, a Concertino, at a European competition in Brussels in 1856.