Umlauf, Carl Ignaz Franz

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Umlauf, Carl Ignaz Franz

Umlauf, Carl Ignaz Franz, noted Austrian zither player, teacher, and composer; b. Baden, near Vienna, Sept. 19, 1824; d. Vienna, Feb. 25, 1902. He studied violin with Jansa and theory with Sechter, then made regular tours of Europe as a virtuoso (from 1844). He held the title of Hofmusikus at the Austrian court. With the zither manufacturer Anton Kiendl, he developed the Viennese zither. He publ. the standard method, Neue vollständige theoretisch-praktische Zitherschule (Vienna, 1859), and also brought out Salon-Album für Zitherspieler (18 vols.), which includes his own works and transcriptions.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire