Führer, Robert 06/02/1807 - 11/28/1861

Robert Führer (1807-1861) joined at age ten the boys' choir of the Prague Veit Cathedral directed by his uncle, Jan August Vitásek, who also gave him lessons in organ and composition. In 1830 he became the organist at the Premonstratensian foundation in Strahov and teacher at the newly established organ school. In 1831 he became first organist at Veit Cathedral, and upon the death of his uncle he took over his post directing the choir there.



Alcoholism and fraud led to his dismissal. Führer left his wife and two sons and led a peripatetic life in different towns of Austria and Bohemia. He died destitute.



Führer composed numerous sacred choral works (masses, requiem, litanies, etc.) of uneven quality. A sharply critical contemporary, Franz Xaver Witt, had to admit that "Führer has a compositional ability and technical facility which is not easy to find; he unites a meaningful agility of invention and a natural flow of melody, qualities which always capture the attention."