A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Witteczek, Joseph von

by Carl Ferdinand Pohl

WITTECZEK, Joseph von, imperial councillor in Vienna, died about 1859, became acquainted with Franz Schubert through Spaun.^[1] Impressed by the great musical genius of the inspired youth he endeavoured to collect all Schubert's compositions, manuscript or printed, with extracts from newspapers and biographical notices, concerning him, and also drew up several thematic lists of his vocal and instrumental music, etc. The whole collection he bequeathed to Spaun under the condition that on his death it should become the possession of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna, and be deposited in their archives, where it now forms one of the most precious treasures, and where its materials have since been consulted in many Schubert-questions. The collection is now often known as Spaun's; it is however an act of gratitude and justice to record the name of its proper founder Witteczek.

[ C. F. P. ]

1. See Spaun. vol. iii. p. 648a.