Paul Wranitzky

Paul Wranitzky Sheet Music

  • Born: 30th December 1756
  • Died: 26th September 1808
  • Birthplace: Czech Republic

Pavel Vranický, later Germanized as Paul Wranitzky was a Moravian classical composer. His half brother, Antonín, was also a composer. Wranitzky was born in Neureisch (Nová Říše) in Habsburg Moravia on December 30, 1756. He studied at the Faculty of Theology of University of Olomouc and later a theological seminary in Vienna. At age 20, like so many other Czech composers of that period, he moved to Vienna to seek out opportunities within the Austrian imperial capital. From 1790, he conducted both royal theater orchestras. He was highly respected by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven; the latter two preferred him as conductorof their new works (e.g., Beethoven's First Symphony, in 1800). Wranitzky was a prolific composer. His output comprises ten operas, 44 symphonies, at least 56 string quartets (some sources give a number as high as 73) and a large amount of other orchestral and chamber music. His opera, Oberon – The Fairy King from 1789 was a favorite in this genre and inspired Emanuel Schikaneder to write the libretto of The Magic Flute for Mozart in 1791; in the mid-1790s, Goethe sought to collaborate with Wranitzky on a sequel to the Mozart opera.