A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Mainzer, Joseph
MAINZER, Joseph, was born in 1801 at Treves, where his father was a butcher. He was educated in the Maîtrise of Trêves Cathedral, learnt to play several instruments, and developed considerable musical gifts, then spent some time in the coal mines near Saarbruck, with the view of being an engineer, and at length embraced the ecclesiastical profession, was ordained priest in 1826, and afterwards became Abbé. His first practical introduction to music was as singing-master to the seminary at Trêves, for which he published a ' Singschule' or Method (Trêves, 1831). His political tendencies obliged him to leave Germany, and we find him in 1833 at Brussels writing an opera ('Triomphe de la Pologne') and editing the musical portion of 'L'Artiste.' His next destination was Paris, where he opened workmen's classes for music and singing, joined the staff of the 'Gazette Musicale' and wrote the musical feuilletons for the 'National.' Between 1835 and 1841 he published several educational works on music, chiefly for very young beginners, as well as other works, and an opera, 'La Jaquerie,' which was damned on Oct. 10, 1839. He then came to England, competed against Sir H. R. Bishop for the musical professorship at Edinburgh in 1841, and finally established himself at Manchester. In February of that year Mr. Hullah had started his classes on Wilhem's system, and Mainzer attempted to follow suit in the north, and with considerable success. His 'Singing for the [1]million' was at that time well known and went through many editions. He over-worked himself in this cause, and died, much esteemed and regretted, at Manchester, Nov. 10, 1851. A periodical started by him and entitled 'Mainzer's Musical Times' was the predecessor and basis of the present 'Musical Times.'
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- ↑ M. Fétis amusingly infers from this title that Mainzer expected to number a million pupils.