Stadler, Maximilian

1748-1833

 

Organist, composer and priest; born at Melk, Lower Austria. When ten years old he became a chorister at the monastery of Lilienfeld, gaining his musical education there and at the Jesuit College at Vienna. He entered the Benedictine Abbey at Melk in 1766 and took orders in 1772, becoming professor of theology three years later. In 1786 Emperor Joseph appointed him Abbot of Lilienfeld, and in 1789 of Kremismunster. After living at various places he returned to Vienna, where he died. He was the friend of Handel and Mozart, and at the request of Mozart's widow put that master's musical affairs in order, copying the original score of the Requiem, and writing two pamphlets in defense of it against Gottfried Weber. As an excellent contrapuntist and an authority on the history of music, his compositions have a solidness and value of their own. Among them may be mentioned: Music to a tragedy by Collins entitled Polyxena; funeral cantata; requiem; Te Deum and masses; offertories and graduals; Des Ge witter, a cantata; Die Befreiung von Jerusalem; Seladon, a cantata; much other religious music; sonatas and fugues for piano and organ; three string quartets; concerto for violoncello; three trios for strings.