Ebner, Wolfgang

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Ebner, Wolfgang

Ebner, Wolfgang, German organist and composer; b. Augsburg, 1612; d. Vienna, Feb. 11 or 12, 1665. He settled in Vienna, where he was made organist at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in 1634. From 1637 he was active at the imperial court, serving first as organist of the Kapelle and then as Cathedral Kapellmeister (from 1663). He also was court ballet composer. With Froberger, he was influential in establishing the Viennese keyboard style of his day, notable for its fusion of German, French, and English styles. His most celebrated work was a set of 36 harpsichord variations (Prague, 1648), based on a theme by Ferdinand III. He also prepared 15 rules of thoroughbass realization, which were included in a German tr. by J. Herbst in his Arte prattica & poetica (Frankfurt am Main, 1653). The greater portion of his output was destroyed during World War II.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire