Josef Fiala

1748-1816

Josef was born in the town of Lochovice in Bohemia in the modern day Czech Republic. A skilled musician he made his living as an instrumentalist. He acquired considerable fame for his performances on the oboe and viola da gamba.

As a talented musician he made his way around the orchestras of Europe’s nobility hired by Prince Kraft Ernst of Oettingen-Wallerstein, then joining Elector Maximilian Joseph’s wind band in Munich.

Here he met and befriended Mozart who is said to have admired Fiala’s compositions as well as his performances on the oboe. When the old elector died Mozart helped Fiala gain a new position in Salzburg in the orchestra of the Archbishop.

From here he moved east to join the orchestra of Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy in Vienna and then further east still joining the Orchestra of Catherine the Great in St Petersburg. Never one to let the grass grow beneath his feet he moved on to perform as a viola da gamba player in the court orchestra of Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

At the age of 44 he made what would turn out to be the final move of a peripatetic life when he was made Kapellmeister to Prince Furstenberg of Donaueschingen. Was this the ultimate ambition he cherished? Perhaps, because he stayed put working Donaueschingen for the rest of his life. The Prince was clearly a big fan of his music and performances, he awarded him a personal coat of arms.

Already a prolific composer, in Donaueschingen he wrote numerous pieces for his patron’s wind ensemble.