Wenzel Pichl (1741–1805; known in his native language as Václav Pichl) was a Czech composer in the classical style. He was also a violinist, music director, and writer. Born on 25th September 1741 in Bechyně, Bohemia, his first musical training was at Bechyne with the cantor Jan Pokorný. He served as a singer between the years 1752 and 1758 at the Jesuit college at Březnice. In Prague he was a violinist at the Jesuit seminary of Saint Wenceslaus, and his studies while at the university were philosophy, theology, and law. He was appointed to the post of first violinist of the Týn Church in 1762, and studied counterpoint with the organist J. N. Seger. In 1765 he was engaged by the composer Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf as a violinist for the private orchestra of Bishop Adam Patachich at Nagyvarad (now Oradea, Romania). The orchestra was dissolved in 1769, and Pichl became the music director for Count Ludwig Hartig in Prague. In about 1770 he became first violinist of the Vienna court theatre, and on the recommendation of the Empress Maria Theresa he became music director for the Austrian governor of Lombardy at Milan, Archduke Ferdinand d'Este. Pichl went to Italy in 1777 and remained there until 1796, when the French invaded Lombardy; he then returned to Vienna, where he stayed in the service of the archduke until his death (apart from a brief visit to Prague in 1802). Wenzel Pichl died on 23rd January 1805, as the result of a stroke while playing a violin concerto at the Palais Lobkowitz, Vienna. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Wenzel+Pichl">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.