Drechsler, Josef

1782-1873

A composer and teacher who was born at Vlachpve Brezi in Bohemia, and received his first musical instruction from his father. He was first chorusmaster at the Court Theatre, Vienna, then conductor of a theatre at Baden and at Pressburg, and organist of the Servite Church at Vienna, and occupied many positions of a similar nature. He composed much for the stage and also wrote church music. In addition to six operas and twenty-five operettas; farces, etc; he wrote masses; offertories; a requiem; sonatas; quartets; airs; songs and fugues. He is also the author of a method for the organ and a treatise on harmony. He prepared a new edition of Pleyl's piano school and wrote a theoreticopractical guide to  the art of preluding and several books of instruction for organ, harmony and thorough-bass.