Mayer, (Benjamin) Wilhelm

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Mayer, (Benjamin) Wilhelm

Mayer, (Benjamin) Wilhelm , Austrian pianist,pedagogue, and composer who used the pseudonym W.A. Remy; b. Prague, June 10, 1831; d. Graz, Jan. 22, 1898. He studied with C. Pietsch, and also took a degree in law (1856). In 1862 he became conductor of the Graz Musical Soc. resigning in 1870 to apply himself to pedagogy. He taught both piano and composition, and achieved great renown, numbering among his pupils Busoni, Reznicek, and Weingartner. He wrote a concert opera, Das Waldfraulein (Graz, 1876), a number of syms. and other orch. works, and numerous songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire