Josef Waldbauer was born in Austria in a peasant family.
He moved to Budapest where he studied violin at the National Conservatory with Alois Gobbi.
[3] In 1898 he left the Quartet because he was assigned as a secretary of the Budapest Chamber Music Society.
[4] In 1910–1914 he was inspector of the violin section of the high professional music courses in Budapest.
Josef Waldbauer was buried at Kerepesi Cemetery in Budapest.