A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Gung'l, Joseph
GUNG'L, Joseph, popular composer of dance music, born at Zsàmbèk in Hungary Dec. 1, 1810; son of a stocking-weaver; began life as schoolmaster. He received his first instruction n music from Semann in Buda, and having nelisted in the Austrian army, was first oboist and then bandmaster to the 4th regiment of artillery. His Hungarian March, op. 1, was the first of a long series of marches and dance music. Up to 1843 Gung'l made concert-tours with his regimental band to Munich, Augsburg, Nuremerg, Würzburg, and Frankfurt, performing chiefly his own pieces, but in that year he established a band of his own at Berlin, and his publishers, Bute and Bock, are said to have made large sums by his music. On his return from America in 1849, he was appointed musikdirector to the King of Prussia; and in 1858 Capellmeister to the Emperor of Austria. In he meantime he and his band had visited nearly every capital on the continent. Gung'l has been stationary at Munich since 1864. His works are very numerous. It is stated that down to the end of 1873 he had composed 300 dances and marches, for the most part distinuished by charming melody and marked rhythm. [App. p.819 "date of death, Jan. 31, 1889."]
His daughter Virginia, an opera-singer of merit, made her first appearance at Munich in 1871, and is now engaged at Schwerin.
His nephew Johann, also well known as a composer of dance music, was born, like his uncle, at Zsàmbèk in 1819 [App. p.661 "March 5"], and, like him, made professional tours to every capital in Europe. He retired in 1862, and lives at Fünfkirchen in Hungary.