Wihan, Hanuš

Born June 5, 1855, in Politz; died May 1, 1920, in Prague. Czech cellist.

Wihan studied under F. Hegenbart at the Prague Conservatory; subsequently he profited from the advice of K. lu. Davy do v, with whom he would meet in Leipzig and St. Petersburg. In 1873, Wihan became a professor at the Mozarteum Academy of Music and Stage Art in Salzburg. He worked with court choirs at Berlin, Sondershausen, and Munich, where he also played in a quartet. In 1888 he became a professor at the Prague Conservatory, teaching classes in the cello and in chamber music, and in 1891 he organized the Bohemian String Quartet. He is the composer of cello pieces and romances. Wihan toured Russia several times (first in 1894) and collaborated with P. I. Tchaikovsky, S. I. Taneev, and others. In 1950 and 1955 international competitions named after Wihan were conducted in Prague.