Ernesto Köhler

Ernesto Köhler
Born4 December 1849
Modena, Italy
Died17 March 1907(1907-03-17) (aged 57)
Saint Petersburg
Occupation(s)Flautist, Composer

Ernesto Köhler (4 December 1849 – 17 March 1907) was an Italian flautist and composer. He was considered one of the best flautists of his era.[1]

Born in Modena, Köhler was taught the flute by his father, Venceslau Joseph Köhler, who was the first flute of the Duke of Modena's orchestra.[1] He moved to Vienna in 1869 as a flautist, and then became a member of the orchestra of the Imperial Opera in Saint Petersburg beginning in 1871.

Noted as a composer for flute, Köhler wrote over 100 works for the instrument: études, duets, and solos. He also produced an opera and several ballets. He is well known among flute players for "Flöten-Schule" (c. 1880), his popular method for learning the flute, and for Progress in Flute Playing (his Opus 33, published in the 1880s), a series of three progressive instructional books for the flute player.

Cover of A New and Practical School for Mandolin (Новая практическая весьма понятная школа для мандолины) by Ernesto Köhler, with dual German-Russian entries. Version market to Germans was published c. 1887.[2]

Köhler also had ties to the mandolin community; he is credited with writing an early mandolin method, Mandolinen Schule, self instructor for the mandolin, first published in 1887.[2] His mandolin method is thought to be the first mandolin method published in Russian.[3] His publisher was Julius Heinrich Zimmermann.

Picture of a younger Ernesto Köhler.

Ernesto Köhler died in Saint Petersburg on 17 March 1907.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Flutepage.de
  2. ^ a b Reichenbach, Michael. "Ernesto Köhler -Mandolin school for self teaching". mandoisland.de. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  3. ^ ""Новая практическая весьма понятная школа для мандолины"(translation: The new practice is quite clear school for mandoline)". mandolinka.link. МАНДОЛИНКА. Retrieved 1 July 2017. (translation:The oldest surviving in Russian teaching manual on mandolin... Ernesto Kohler, 19th century, publishing Zimmerman)

Sources