Joseph Benesch: A Forgotten Bohemian Violinist and an Imitator of Niccolò Paganini Within the Central European Violinistic Tradition

Abstract

Joseph Benesch (1795–1873) was among the earliest violin virtuosos to become imitators of the famous Niccolò Paganini, whom he met in Trieste as early as 1824. He was active in Ljubljana for six years and later settled in Vienna, where he was a member of the Hofkapelle and orchestral director of the court theatre. He mainly wrote works for violin, which he performed as part of his personal repertoire