Kűrzinger, Ignaz Franz Xaver

Kiirzinger, Ignaz Franz Xaver, German composer; b. Rosenheim, Upper Bavaria, Jan. 30, 1724; d. Würzburg, Aug. 12, 1797. He studied for the priesthood in Innsbruck, but became a trumpeter in a Hungarian cuirassier regiment. He was taken prisoner during the first Silesian War, and was sent to Berlin, where he studied composition with C.H. Graun. He was later taken to Italy by the Elector Clemens August of Cologne, who made him grand master of the Teutonic Knights. He was active at its chapel in Mergentheim, Württemberg, where he later served as Kapellmeister (1751–63). He then went to Wurzburg as a violinist in the Court Orch. of the Prince-Bishop, and subsequently became music director of the orphanage at the Julius Hospital. He wrote sacred and secular vocal music, orch. works, and piano pieces, but much of his work was destroyed during World War li He publ. the useful manual Getreuer Unterricht zum Singen mit Manieren, und die Violin zu spielen (Augsburg, 1763; 5^th ed., 1821). His son, Paul Ignaz Kürzinger (b. Mergentheim, Württemberg, April 28, 1750; d. Vienna, after 1820), was also a composer. After studying with his father, he played violin in the Munich electoral Court Orch. (1775–77), and then in the orch. of the Prince of Thurn and Taxis in Regensburg (1777–80), where he was director of the Court Theater (1780–83). He subsequently settled as a theater composer and director of a private school in Vienna. He wrote the operas La Contessina (Munich, 1775), Robert und Kalliste (Regensburg, 1780), Der Bergknappen (Regensburg, 1782), and Die Illumination (Vienna, 1787; not extant), as well as 4 ballets, a cantata, piano pieces, and songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire