About Jacob Dont

Dont was a well-known Austrian violinist, teachter and composer. His father Valentin Dont, who came from Bohemia, was recognized in his time as a very successful cellist. His son Jacob was a student of J. Böhm (who was also the teacher of Joachim) and of Hellmesberger senior at the Viennesse Conservatory and in 1831 (at the age of 16) became a member of the "Hofburgtheater" Orchestra. Later, in 1834, he entered the services of the Imperial Court Orchestra, also in Vienna. Dont taught first at the "Pädagogium" at St. Anna and from 1873 at the Conservatory in Vienna. His work as a composer was mainly dedicated to important pedagogical publications, of which more than 50 are known.