Josef Pembaur jr.

Josef Pembaur jr. was born on 20 April 1875 in Innsbruck (at that time Austria-Hungary, today Austria) as the son of composer and conductor Josef Pembaur sen. (1848–1923). He received his first musical education from his father and later studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Munich under Ludwig Thuille (piano), Ludwig Abel (conducting), and Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (composition), completing his studies with a gold medal. He subsequently worked as a piano teacher at the Academy until around 1901. From 1901 to 1902 he studied further at the Leipzig Conservatory with Alfred Reisenauer, a pupil of Franz Liszt, and later became a teacher of advanced piano studies there. In 1912 Pembaur was granted the title of professor in Saxony. His book “On the Poetry of Piano Playing” was published during this period. In 1921 he returned to Munich, where he was appointed professor at the Academy of Music and led a piano master class. Alongside his teaching, he continued concert activities and wrote piano works, chamber music, songs, and choral pieces.
Josef Pembaur jr. died on 12 October 1950 in Munich (Germany).

The work catalogue of Josef Pembaur jr. is very small. He composed a violin sonata and some songs, for example "3 Marienlieder" for voice and piano.

In my possession is the autograph manuscript of the song "Die Rose hier, die gelbe" for voice and piano by Josef Pembaur jr. The work sets a poem of Rainer Maria Rilke to music and the song is dedicated to Lydia Müller. Lydia Müller was a singer, active mainly between 1890 and 1900 and so it seems likely that the work was composed around that time as well.