Alexander Dreyschock

Alexander Dreyschock (15 October 1818 – 1 April 1869) was a Czech pianist and composer.

Dreyschock was born in Žáky (now in the Czech Republic) on 15 October 1818. He showed musical talent at a young age. He went to Prague at thirteen years old. While he was supposed to study medicine, he instead studied music with Václav Tomášek.

He made his first tour in December 1838. He traveled through towns in northern and central Germany. Dreyschock later visited Russia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Paris, and London. He was a well-known piano virtuoso. In 1846 he visited Austria. Dreyschock became the imperial pianist in Vienna. In 1858 Dreyschock went to Weimar and Kassel to visit Franz Liszt and Louis Spohr, but Spohr did not write about his visit.

In 1862 Dreyschock became a piano professor at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. The Russian climate made his health worse. He went to Italy in 1868. Dreyschock died in Venice on 1 April 1869. He was buried at the Olšany Cemetery.

The composer wrote many compositions. They were not very successful. His variations on God Save the Queen were well-known. His opera  was a failure. Dreyschock also wrote a sonata, a rondo with orchestra, a string quartet, and an overture for orchestra.

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Category:1818 births
Category:1869 deaths
Category:Czech composers
Category:Romantic composers