Josef Löw (1834-1886)

Josef Löw

Born 23rd January 1834 in Prague. Died 5th October 1886 in Prague. Löw was a popular piano teacher, organist and composer. The Jewish composer, a German-Bohemian national was trained at the Music Institute Jiranek. At the age of twenty he went on tour to Moravia and the Slovakian town of Halic.

He reached fame with his music for piano, organ and harmonium, including educational works, but unfortunately only a few compositions for orchestras (New Hungarian Dances, Bohemian Dances) and choirs. Very commendable are the lyrical piano pieces for the intonation of poems from H. Heine and original compositions for harmonium and piano (opus 282-290, 295, 310, 419, 463-465, 495 and Tannhäuser- without opus).

Publications from publishing houses in Berlin, Boston, Brunswick, Danzig, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Leipzig, New York, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, St. Petersburg and Vienna demonstrate his great popularity.