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Sigismund Neukomm was born in Salzburg on July 10th, 1778. He springs to mind at this juncture because he was a pupil of both the elder and the younger Haydn. After beginning his studies in Salzburg with Michael Haydn, Neukomm moved to Vienna, seeking perfection with Joseph. And what if he did leave Salzburg for the wide world as young man? He still deserves to be remembered here. A career such as Neukomm’s was exceptional and its telling read more like fiction than fact.
On leaving Vienna, Neukomm went to Russia, becoming conductor at the German Theatre in St. Petersburg. His return to Vienna was of short duration and he left Austria again after a short time, settling in Paris. Here he became pianist to the famous Talleyrand, who had, with consummate skill, survived many a political vicissitude to become France’s delegate at the Congress of Vienna. Neukomm, too, appears to have learned from his master. He wrote a requiem in honour of Louis XVI, reaping the legion d’honneur and a title as a reward. Yet even these high honours could not persuade him to settle permanently. Neukomm later became conductor at the court of the Emperor of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, moved on to London and spent his last years in Paris, where he died on April 3rd, 1858. Anywhere else, Sigismund Neukomm would be revered as the pride of his birthplace. But in Salzburg things are a little different.
Across the street from number 10 Getreidegasse, the house bearing a memorial plaque to Sigismund Neukomm, the hub of the world for al music lovers is located – the birthplace of birthplaces. It was here, on January 27th, 1756, that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first saw the light of day. The building is now a museum, but a unique one. The visitor is drawn to the rooms again and again, and the special exhibitions, changing each year, make each new visit more fascinating than the last.
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