Josef Weiss

Josef Weiss (also Weiß, 5 November 1864 – 1945) was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He began his career as a concert pianist in 1877 at the age of 13. He performed in concert halls internationally through 1924, and was particularly admired for his performances of the works of Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, and Franz Liszt; the latter of whom was his teacher. He made several recordings for Berlin-based and Berlin music publisher Carl Simon published a number of his compositions. He was notably the first composer to write a film score for a German language film, writing music that accompanied the premiere of The Student of Prague in 1913. His piano score for that film was later orchestrated for presentations of that film at music festivals internationally in 2013. A victim of the Holocaust, he died while interned in the Budapest Ghetto in 1945. Weiss was a gifted concert pianist who played best when in lower pressure situations. High stress environments had a negative impact on both his playing, and temperament. His other teachers there included Ferenc Erkel and Robert Volkmann. He then studied music composition at the Vienna Conservatory where one of his classmates and friends