Josef Triebensee


Josef Triebensee was a Bohemian composer and oboist.
He studied composition with Albrechtsberger and oboe with his father, Georg Triebensee who served in the private orchestra of Prince Schwarzenberg, and then from 1782 to 1806 as first oboist of the Austrian Emperor's Harmonie. Concurrently, he also served as principal oboist at the Nationaltheater of Vienna with Johann Went playing 2nd oboe. Josef II had basically poached the principal oboe, principal cor anglais and principal bassoonist from the Schwarzenberg Harmonie to head up his own Harmonie.
Josef was the second oboist, with Olivier Hue, at the Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna in 1791 when he played in the premiere of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte—explaining the peculiar difficulty of the second oboe parts in that work.
Josef then became second oboist at the Kärntnertortheater in 1793 moving up to 1st oboe in 1794. He was also 1st Oboe in Prince Liechtenstein's Harmonie at Feldsberg, and in 1796 became its Kapellmeister.
In 1796 he played 2nd oboe to his father who was on 1st oboe playing in the National Theatre Orchestra in Vienna. The Jahrbuch de Tonkunst in Wien und Prag declared "The Triebensees in the National Theatre Orchestra, father and son, are two great Artistes on the Oboe, which they also play with a most soulful feeling. The son has also written some beautiful compositions, principally for Harmonie music."
In 1809 he left Prince Lichtenstein's Harmonie when it was disbanded.
In 1811 he joined the private orchestra of Count Hunyady, whilst also working as a theater composer in Brno. From 1816 to his retirement in 1836, he was director of the Prague Opera, where he succeeded composer Carl Maria von Weber. Unlike Weber, his operas found little success.
In this period he often played as soloist in the concerts of the Tonkünstler Societät.
In January 1816 he performed his own 'Variations on the beloved melody "Redoute Deutschen" for Oboe and Orchestra.
In the same year he succeeded Weber as Director of Prague Opera, a position that he held until his death on December 31st in 1836.
In 1817 he was appointed senior Professor of Singing.
Triebensee's most important compositions were two sets of Harmoniemusik, the second appearing in 32 installments of ten or more movements. He wrote 12 comic operas for Vienna and Prague as well as vocal, orchestral, and chamber works.

Compositions

Works for Winds

Chamber musicGrande Sonate for piano and violin
  • 1790-96 Trio in F Major, for two oboes and alto oboe
  • 1790-96 Trio in C Major, for two oboes and alto oboe
  • 1790-96 Trio in B-flat Major, for two oboes and alto oboe
  • 1790-96 Variations on Hadyn's symphony nr. 94 „mit dem Paukenschlag“, for two oboes and alto oboe3 Oboe Quartets for Oboe and String Trio
  • Grand Sonata for Oboe and PianoGran Quintuor, for piano, clarinet, alto oboe, basset horn, and bassoonQuintetto. In F : a Clavicembalo, Oboa, Violino, Viola e VioloncelloQuintett in Eb 1799 for strings
Menuetto con Variazioni in FVariace na Mozartovo téma6 Variationen über das tyroler Alpenlied for piano, violin and guitar

Arrangements for Harmonie ensemble

Instrumental music

Konzert für die Oboe

Vocal music

Die Höhle auf dem Lorenzberge zu Prag im Herbste 1792 : Lied for voice and piano Gebet der Armen für Ihre Wohltäter, for 5 soloists and choir
  • Cantata Acis und Galathea for choir and winds