Anton Diabelli

About Anton Diabelli

Anton Diabelli was an Austrian music publisher, editor and composer. Best known in his time as a publisher, he is most familiar today as the composer of the waltz on which Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his set of thirty-three Diabelli Variations.

Diabelli was born in 1781 in Mattsee, Austria. His parents intended him to enter the priesterhood.  In 1798 he joined the Cistercian convent Raitenhaslach. The convent was closed in 1803 during secularisation. Diabelli settled in Vienna as composer, music teacher and publisher. Anton Diabelli died in 1858 in Vienna.

Diabelli took his first music lessons with his father. Later on he was also trained by Michael Haydn. Diabelli produced a modest number of works as a composer, including an operetta called Adam in der Klemme, a number of masses and songs and a large number of piano and classical guitar pieces. Among these are pieces for four hands which are still popular amongst amateur pianists.