Anton de Kontski

Kontski settled in the United States in 1883 and resided first in Buffalo, New York, then in Grand Rapids, Michigan and San Francisco.

In 1896, when de Kontski was visiting pianist with the Wellington Orchestral Society in New Zealand, the conductor Alfred Hill resigned in protest at this trick, which he considered charlatanry.

[3] Two years before his death he embarked on a world tour, giving concerts in California, Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Thailand, the Philippines, Persia, and many provinces of the Russian Empire.

His piece entitled Polish Patrol was published in Los Angeles in 1895 by The Barlett Music Co. with a portrait of the composer on the cover, and his Awaking of the Lion was very popular in 1870s California.

A sign of his popularity is the fact that publication The Etude used his Dance des sorcières as their first title when they began publishing sheet music in 1883.