Johann Baptist Pischek

Johann Baptist Pischek (Czech: Jan Křtitel Píšek; 14 October 1814 – 16 February 1873) was a Czech-Austrian operatic baritone.

His career revived when, in 1838 in Brno, replacing an indisposed singer, he successfully played Riccardo in Bellini's I puritani, and appeared in subsequent operas there.

He reappeared in England in 1846, 1847 and 1849, and maintained his popularity in the concert room, and in oratorio, singing in 1849 the title part of Elijah at the Birmingham Festival with great effect.

His repertoire was large, embracing operas and pieces of Gluck, Mozart, Méhul, Beethoven, Spohr, Weber, Donizetti, Harold, Lachner, Kreutzer, Lindpaintner.... As an actor he was prone to exaggeration.

But it was in his ballads, especially in Lindpaintner's "Standard-bearer", that he carried away his audience.... His voice was a fine rich bass, with a very pure falsetto of 3 or 4 notes, which he managed exquisitely...."[3] Attribution