Panny, Joseph

1794-1838

Austrian violinist, composer, and teacher; born at Kolmitzberg. His father was a violinist, and his grandfather an organist, and from them he received instruction in violin, organ and theory. In his youth he had to give up the study of music to earn his own living, but he went to Vienna in 1815 and studied under Eybler, and appeared in a concert of his own compositions in 1824. He attracted the attention of Paganini, and together they toured as far as Prague. From there Panny went to Germany, visiting the principal cities. In 1831 he set out on a tour through Norway, Sweden and England. On his return to Germany he founded a music school at Weisserling in Alsace, and after visting Paris in 1835, married, and made Mainz his home. Here he founded another school of music. Three masses; a requiem; male choruses; songs; a scene with orchestral accompaniment, written for Paganini; a sonata; trio; string quartets; and other instrumental music, beside the opera, Das Madchen von Rügen, written in 1831, are the work of his hand. Some manuscripts on the musical history of England, France, Germany and Italy are also mentioned.