Karl Proske

Born at Grobing in Upper Silesia, 11 Feb., 1794; died 20 Dec., 1861. He took his degree as Doctor of Medicine at Halle, after which he became court physician at Oppein. From 1813 to 1820 he followed the profession of medicine, and was army surgeon in the campaign of 1813-5. He was also an enthusiastic lover of ecclesiastical chant. At length in 1821 he determined to become a priest, and was ordained at Ratisbon, 11 April, 1826. Henceforward he devoted himself to the acquisition of ancient church music, and spent the whole of his private income as well as the emoluments from his church preferments, searching through Italian and other musical archives. In 1830 he was made Canon and Kappelmeister of Ratisbon cathedral, of which he had been vicar choral since 1827. With unwearied patience he collected and transcribed hundreds of musical scores, and in 1853 started the publication of his invaluable "Musica Divina", the fourth volume of which appeared in 1862; this was followed by a "Selectus Novus Missarum", in two volumes (1857-61).