Josef Wagner (composer)

Josef Franz Wagner (20 March 1856 – 5 June 1908) was an Austrian military bandmaster and composer. He is sometimes referred to as “The Austrian March King”. Hailing from Vienna, which remained a key location in his life, Wagner joined a military band early on following his education. Between 1874 and 1899, Wagner would remain a member of the military band of different infantry regiments of the Austro-Hungarian army, becoming a successful bandmaster from 1878 to his death. Among his most famous work is Unter dem Doppeladler (Under the Double Eagle). Wagner died in 1908 following an accumulation of debt. Early life and education Josef Franz Wagner was born on 20 March 1856 in Vienna, Austrian Empire, to Josef Wagner, a doctor, and Maria Anna Wagner (née Oberthanner). Wagner (the doctor) had migrated to Vienna from Bohemia, while Anna had migrated from Moravia. Their son completed his primary education in Henriette Kumenecker’s singing school in Vienna, and his secondary education at the Stiftsgymnasium in Seitenstetten between 1869 and 1873. As a boy, Wagner excelled as a soprano in a church choir. After completing his secondary education, he was privately taught at the Austro-Hungar