Peter Hänsel

Peter Hänsel (born 29 November 1770 in Leppe, Silesia Province; d. 18 September 1831 in Vienna) was a German-Austrian violinist and classical composer of almost exclusively chamber music.

He has been recently viewed not only as the principal representative of the true quartet school of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,[1] but also the composer responsible for incorporating French and Polish influences into the Viennese classical style, thus serving as mediator between Germany, France and Poland.

After a musical apprenticeship with his uncle in 1787 in Warsaw, Hänsel traveled to Russia and joined the orchestra of Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin in St. Petersburg,[3] which at the time was under the direction of master Giuseppe Sarti.

[2] In the spring of 1791 he was concert master at the court of Princess Izabela Lubomirska in Vienna,[3] where he was employed from 1796 with a fixed annual salary.

Hänsel took lessons with Joseph Haydn in 1802, maintaining a relatively conservative compositional style throughout his career.