Pauer, Ernst

1826-1905

Noted Austrian pianist and teacher; born at Vienna. His father was a Lutheran minister, Superintendent General of the Protestant Churches of Austria, and his mother was a member of the Streicher family, the noted piano-makers. Ernst was given a liberal education by private tutors and devoted a part of his time up to 1839 studying the piano with Dirzka, and from then until 1844 with W. A. Mozart, junior, and composition with Sechter. He performed in public and wrote his first composition in 1842. Three years later he went to Munich, where he studied with Franz Lachner until 1847. He then became director of music at Mayence, where he wrote a number of orchestral works, and the operas Don Riego, and the Red Mask. In 1851 he went to Lon- don and made so great a success as a pianist in concerts of the Philharmonic and the Musical Union that he decided to remain. He was made professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music in 1859 and in 1876 at the National Training School. From 1883 to 1896 he taught in the Royal College of Music and then retired from public activity, spending the rest of his life at Jugenheim, in Germany. He represented Austria and Germany among the judges  of the International Exposition, held in London in 1862, and among numerous honors bestowed upon him was that of pianist to the Imperial Court of Austria, in 1866. Pauer was a thoughful and serious pianist, and by his historical concerts, begun at London in 1861 and given in Europe as well, he brought before the public many hitherto unknown classical works. From 1870 date his lectures, given in London, Scotland and Ireland. He composed a third opera, The Bride; also a quintet; sonatas, for violin and cello with piano, and for piano alone; and a number of piano solos, notably the Valse de Concert, Cascade; also valuable educational piano studies; and arrangements of Beethoven's and Schumann's symphonies, and Mendelssohn's piano concertos. He edited the historical works, Alte Klaviermusik; Alte Meister; Old English Composers for the Virginal and Harpsichord; and about thirty volumes on the classical composers from Bach to Schumann. He wrote the music primers, The Art of Piano playing; Elements of the Beautiful in Music; Musical Forms; and The Pianist's Directory.