Ernst Pauer facts for kids

Ernst Pauer around 1896

Ernst Pauer (born December 21, 1826 – died May 5, 1905) was a talented Austrian pianist, composer, and teacher. He was known for his amazing piano playing and for helping people learn about music.

Biography

Ernst Pauer was born in Vienna, Austria. His family had a strong connection to music. His mother's family, the Streichers, were famous for making pianos. From 1839 to 1844, Ernst studied piano with Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, who was the son of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He also studied composition with Simon Sechter.

After more studies in Munich with Franz Lachner, Pauer worked as a conductor and composer in Mainz. In 1851, he decided to move to London, England.

Life in London

Pauer's piano playing quickly became very popular in London. During the big 1862 International Exhibition in South Kensington, he gave daily piano concerts. People loved to hear him play.

He also created a special series of concerts. These concerts showed how keyboard music changed from the 1600s up to his own time. He wrote many notes for the programs to explain everything. Later, he gave lectures on this topic and many others, sharing his knowledge with many people.

A Teacher and Music Expert

Ernst Pauer was also a dedicated teacher. He worked at the National Training School for Music from 1859 to 1864. Later, in 1876, he became the main Piano Professor at the new Royal College of Music. He also had connections with the Music Faculty at the University of Cambridge.

Pauer was very interested in old keyboard music and how it was played originally. This is called "historically informed performance." He published many music editions, which are collections of music he prepared for others to play. He also wrote books and arranged music.

He retired in 1896 and moved to Jugenheim in Germany, where he passed away in 1905. His son, Max von Pauer, also became a world-famous pianist, following in his father's footsteps.

What He Created

Ernst Pauer was very busy creating and sharing music. He wrote books about music and edited many pieces by famous composers.

Books About Music

• The elements of the beautiful in music (1876): This book explored what makes music beautiful.
• The art of pianoforte playing (1877): A guide on how to play the piano well.
• Musical forms (1878): This book explained the different structures of music.
• A dictionary of pianists and composers for the pianoforte (1895): A helpful book listing pianists and composers.

Edited Music Editions

Pauer edited many collections of music, making them ready for others to play and study. He helped bring old music to new audiences. Some of the famous composers whose works he edited include:

• Music by Robert Schumann
• Piano works by Felix Mendelssohn
• Franz Schubert's Winter Journey songs
• Johann Sebastian Bach's Das wohltemperierte Klavier
• Piano works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Piano works by Franz Schubert
• Works by Joseph Haydn
• The Children's Beethoven: Short pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven for young pianists.
• Music by old English composers for instruments like the virginals and harpsichord.
• Piano works by Carl Maria von Weber
• Transcriptions by Franz Liszt
• Complete piano works by Ludwig van Beethoven
• Traditional Hebrew melodies for piano.