Johann Nepomuk David

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Johann Nepomuk David (30 November 1895 – 22 December 1977) was an Austrian composer. He was born in Eferding and sang as a choirboy at the Sankt Florian monastery. He studied at a Linz teacher training college (1912–1915) and then worked as a schoolteacher. In 1921–22 he studied music briefly at the Musikhochschule with Joseph Marx and at the University of Vienna with Guido Adler. He returned to Linz in 1922 to become musical director of the Linz Kunststelle until 1924. From 1925 to 1934 he taught at a Catholic school, founded and directed a Bach choir, and was an organist in Wels. He became professor of composition and theory at the Leipzig Musikhochschule (1934–1945). After World War II he taught at the Mozarteum in Salzburg (1945–47) and, from 1948 to 1963, at the Stuttgart Musikhochschule as professor of theory and counterpoint. In Stuttgart he directed the Bruckner choir and the academy’s chamber orchestra in the early 1950s. David wrote many works, including eight symphonies, several concertos (notably an organ concerto and three violin concertos), instrumental pieces for organ, and numerous choral works. His early symphonies are more modal; later works are harsher but still tonal. He died in Stuttgart in 1977 at age 83. His son Thomas Christian David was also a composer. Among his pupils were Helmut Lachenmann and Ruth Zechlin, as well as Johan Kvandal, Seóirse Bodley, Hans Stadlmair, Käte van Tricht, and Hans Georg Bertram.