34 Facts About Johann Sedlatzek

Johann Jean Sedlatzek was a Silesian flautist born in Glogowek, Kingdom of Prussia, into a family of tailors, often referred to as "The Niccolo Paganini of Flute".

Johann Sedlatzek served in the Royal Court Orchestra of Count Franz von Oppersdorff of Oberglogau and as Royal Chamber Virtuoso to Prince Paul III Anton Esterhazy of Austria.

Johann Sedlatzek gave several successful concert tours through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, and England as featured performer.

Johann Sedlatzek was a friend and collaborator to Ludwig van Beethoven and played several times with the universally known composer; most notably as the principal flautist in the world-premier of Beethoven's Symphony No 9 in Vienna's Karntnertortheater in 1824 under the direction of Beethoven himself.

In March 1810, Johann Sedlatzek left his family home to pursue his musical aspirations in Opava, the cultural heart of Silesia at the time, earning his living as Master Tailor while working as a doorman at the local theater.

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Johann Sedlatzek then traveled to Brno, Moravia and later to Vienna, Austria repeating this occupational strategy in each new city.

Johann Sedlatzek was finally able to put aside the family trade and focus on music exclusively when he was hired as first flute to the "Theater an der Wien" in September 1812.

The first printed review of a Johann Sedlatzek performance appeared shortly after this event when the "Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung" gave the first of many positive reviews that would follow him throughout his long career in music.

That same year, after Dressler moved to London, Johann Sedlatzek was chosen to replace the eminent performer as principal flautist at the Karntnertortheater, a position he would hold for the next eight years while performing concerts in Germany, conducting a lengthy tour of Italy, and playing around Vienna with his own ensemble, the "Johann Sedlatzek Harmonie Quintet".

Between the years after his appointment as Principal Flautist at Karntentor Theater in 1817, and his performance with Beethoven in the premier of the 9th Symphony in 1824, Johann Sedlatzek managed a busy schedule which included tours through Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, while performing in Vienna with his Harmonie Quintet.

Back in Vienna, 1 August 1821, Johann Sedlatzek performed with cellist Vincez Schuster and pianist Karl Maria von Bocklet.

And, as a bonus, at the end of the show, Johann Sedlatzek performed publicly, for the first time, on the newly invented Viennese Flute with which he would become synonymous during his later career.

In 1822, Johann Sedlatzek embarked on a two-year tour of Italy, which began with his performances to the Congress of Verona, and continued through Sicily, Parma, Milan, Naples, and Genoa, where he performed alongside Niccolo Paganini.

Johann Sedlatzek left Sicily after the earthquake and traveled to Rome, where he performed for The Pope of the Roman Catholic Church at that time, Pope Pius VII.

Johann Sedlatzek Sedlaczek is listed as a member of the "Ludlamshohle" during the years between 1817 and 1826.

Johann Sedlatzek traveled frequently, both during and after his involvement with "Ludlamshohle" indicating he was consistently in good standing with the Viennese authorities.

On 3 April 1825, Johann Sedlatzek gave a farewell concert in Vienna at which he performed works from Beethoven and Rossini as well as his own compositions "Capriccio for Flute" and "Neue Variations for Flute", with the well-known Ignaz Schuppanzigh conducting.

Survey of English Newspapers from 1826 to 1842 shows Johann Sedlatzek was very active in the London music scene at that time.

Johann Sedlatzek would meet again with the notorious Paganini in 1831 when London hosted a bevy of foreign performers for the season.

Johann Sedlatzek was married in London on All-Hallows Eve, 31 October 1827 to Ann Ward, and, in the years following, fathered at least five children.

Johann Sedlatzek returned to Vienna in 1842 after the death of his wife.

Johann Sedlatzek encouraged his children in music from an early age.

Fraulein Johann Sedlatzek has been very favorably received in Vienna and Amsterdam.

Marie Johann Sedlatzek soon became a performer of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane where reviews, at first, were mixed.

Johann Sedlatzek acted well as Marcellina, but had scarcely voice enough for the part.

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Johann Sedlatzek gave his final performance in 1865 to celebrate more than 50 years as a musician at Bosendorfer Salon in Vienna.

Much of the acclaim Johann Sedlatzek received for his performances throughout his life was founded upon his speed and agility on the unusually long-scale Viennese flute, earning him the alias "the Paganini of Flute".

However, Johann Sedlatzek seemed not to have been dismissed as a mere technician, as he was known to be an emotional performer who valued a powerful melody over mere virtuosity.

The following review of a Johann Sedlatzek concert held for charity in August 1828 appeared in the London musical journal "The Harmonicon":.

Manuscripts of Johann Sedlatzek's works are currently archived in libraries around the world including the University of Melbourne at Victoria, Australia, the Moravian Library at Brno the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, the United States Library of Congress, The British Library of St Pancras, London, the University of California, Los Angeles, US, Yale University, US and the University of Glasgow, UK.

Johann Sedlatzek himself is known to have alternated between the two spellings in his own personal signature according to the culture and dialect of the country he was in at the time.

Many direct descendants of Johann Sedlatzek ultimately adopted the Polish spelling "Sedlaczek" as his son, Georg, eventually settled in Vienna, and Johann's grandson, Ludwig Sedlaczek, was born in Vienna, where the "cz" spelling was preferred.

Flautist Wolenska had initiated her search for Sedlatzek Manuscripts after being inspired by stories told to her by the Glogowek Regional Museum Director, Alexander Devosges-Cuber, about the young tailor's apprentice from Glogowek whose advanced flute technique earned him the patronage of the Count von Oppersdorf, eventually allowing Johann to become one of the most famous flautists of the 19th century, often referred to as "The Paganini of Flute".

The 80 minute CD entitled "Johann Sedlatzek: Souvenir" was released in Poland in the Autumn of 2012 on JBrecords.