Adolf Terschak

Terschak was born in Prague; when he was seven the family moved to Hermannstadt (now Sibiu) in Transylvania, where he had lessons on the flute and in harmony.

In February 1856 he began a tour lasting a year and a half, to Bucharest, Iași, Ukraine and Russia, including several towns in Siberia.

[3] His biographer in Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich (1882) wrote: "As far as Terschak as a flute player is concerned, his playing is soulful, pure in tone, both in forte and piano; there is an inimitable bravura in his decrescendo, the delivery is powerful and plentiful, the sound is immensely sympathetic, the technique is masterful.

"[1] H. Macaulay FitzGibbon, in The Story of the Flute (1914), wrote: "As regards his playing, his power and execution were immense, but his tone was coarse and windy; moreover he was generally out of tune, and in 1878 his attempts to tune with the orchestra at the Crystal Palace so signally failed that he left in disgust.

But many of his earlier compositions (such as Bahillard and La Siréne) are full of ear-haunting melody, and have rarely been equalled.