Albert Pieczonka

Albert Emil Theodor Pieczonka (February 10, 1828 – April 12, 1912) was a composer, pianist and music instructor who resided in Germany, England, and the United States. His most famous work, the “Tarantella in A Minor”, remains a popular piano standard more than 100 years after his death. Early life and education Albert Pieczonka was born in Königsberg on the Baltic coast of East Prussia. Pieczonka was the youngest of three children born to Gotthilf Immanuel (1801–1872) and Friederike Caroline Dorothea (Rehlander) Pieczonka (1803-1853). He briefly attended the University of Königsberg before enrolling in the Leipzig Conservatory in 1847. This institution, the oldest music university in Germany, was founded by composer Felix Mendelssohn in 1843. While at the conservatory, Pieczonka studied under famed pianist Ignaz Moscheles (1794–1870). He may have also studied under Franz Liszt before undertaking a solo career. Career In 1858, or thereabout, the Pieczonka family emigrated from continental Europe to London, England. In England, Pieczonka performed concerts and gave music lessons to children of the wealthy. During the 1880s, Pieczonka, his wife, and his daughters performed together t