Josef Fiala

Josef Fiala (Joseph Fiala) (3 February 1748  – 31 July 1816), was a composer, oboist, viola da gamba virtuoso, cellist, and pedagogue.

He was born in Lochovice in Bohemia and began his professional career as an oboist in the service of Countess Netolicka. In 1777 he moved to Munich to serve in the court orchestra of Elector Maximilian Joseph. That year in Munich, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was greatly impressed by the wind band trained by Fiala, and helped Fiala secure a position in 1778 after the death of the Elector. In 1785 Fiala moved to Vienna, and in 1786 to Saint Petersburg where he worked in the court of Catherine the Great. In 1790 he moved to Prussia where he served as a viola da gamba player in the court of Friedrich Wilhelm II. Finally in 1792 he became Kapellmeister in Donaueschingen, where he spent the rest of his life.

Works

Fiala wrote one concerto for viola da gamba, various dances, chamber compositions and symphonies. A concerto for English horn in the form of a transcribed viola da gamba work, was published in 1957 in Czechoslovakia.

Ancestry

Thomas Anthony Fiala (aka Tomasz Antoni Fiala) - (born 1965 - Living in the United States), is the Great Great Great Nephew of Josef Fiala (died 1816). Josef Fiala was the brother of Jan Karol Fiala (died 1830). Thomas is the Great Great Great Grandson of Jan Karol Fiala and the Great Great Grandson of Antoni Karol Fiala - (died 1878) and Great Grandson of Stefan Antoni Fiala (died 1940) and Grandson of Tadeuz Karol Fiala - (died 1982). Thomas's Father is Ryszard M. Fiala (born 1940 - living in the United States). Thomas has two sons; Thomas Anthony Fiala Jr. (born 1985 - living in the United States) and Robert Karol Fiala (born 1987 - living in the United States)

During Josef Fiala's tenure in the court of Friedrich Wilhelm II, The king honored Josef by giving him his own family crest, which still stands today outside of the City of Prague on street named after the family. (Fialova)

The heritage of this Fiala family stems back to Bohemia (currently the Czech Republic), which at the time of Stefan Antoni Fiala was moved to Poland. From the late 1800s to early 1900s the balance of the family was primarily living in Poland with future generations moving to the United Kingdom and the United States.