Joseph Anton Steffan
Encyclopedia
Joseph Anton Steffan or Josef Antonín Štěpán (March, 1726 – April, 1797) was a Bohemian
classical era
composer
and harpsichordist
.
Steffan was born in Kopidlno
, Bohemia
in March 1726, the son of a schoolmaster and church organist. In 1741 he fled from the Prussian army to Vienna
. He received his first musical lessons from his father but, in Vienna, he studied with Schilck and later became a student of Georg Christoph Wagenseil
. He became the piano teacher of Maria Carolina
and Marie Antoinette
. In 1775, he contracted an eye disease which left him almost blind. He gave up his position at the court, but continued to compose. He died in Vienna
in April 1797.
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
classical era
Classical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and harpsichordist
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
.
Steffan was born in Kopidlno
Kopidlno
Kopidlno is a town in the Jičín District of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 2,238. Kopidlno lies between Jičín and Poděbrady, 80 kilometers from Prague.- History :...
, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in March 1726, the son of a schoolmaster and church organist. In 1741 he fled from the Prussian army to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He received his first musical lessons from his father but, in Vienna, he studied with Schilck and later became a student of Georg Christoph Wagenseil
Georg Christoph Wagenseil
Georg Christoph Wagenseil was an Austrian composer.He was born in Vienna, and became a favorite pupil of the Vienna court'sKapellmeister, Johann Joseph Fux. Wagenseil himself composed for the...
. He became the piano teacher of Maria Carolina
Maria Carolina of Austria
Maria Carolina of Austria was Queen of Naples and Sicily as the wife of King Ferdinand IV & III. As de facto ruler of her husband's kingdoms, Maria Carolina oversaw the promulgation of many reforms, including the revocation of the ban on Freemasonry, the enlargement of the navy under her...
and Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
. In 1775, he contracted an eye disease which left him almost blind. He gave up his position at the court, but continued to compose. He died in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in April 1797.
Works
Steffan's compositional output includes sacred works and chamber music (especially piano music). In particular he wrote caprices, harpsichord sonatas and concertos. Specific works include:- 6 caprices for piano
- Concerto for two alto recorders and bass continuo in F major
- 6 concertos for harpsichord and harp with violin, cello, flutes and horns, Opus 3, No. 1-6
- Divertimenti, Op 1 No. 1-6
- Divertimento for two pianos, two violins and bass in E flat major (originally attributed to Haydn, Hob: XIV: Es1)
- Divertimento in B flat major
- Piano Concerto in B flat major
- Piano Trio in C Major
- Minuets for piano
- Collection of German songs for the piano
- Sonata in D major
- Sonata in G major
- Sonata in E major
- Sonata in B flat major
- Sonata in A major
- Sonata in G major
- 11 variations on an aria by Johann Christian Bach
External links
- Musical example: Capriccio Nr.5