Ernesto Köhler

Ernesto Köhler
Born	4 December 1849 Modena, Italy
Died	17 March 1907(1907-03-17) (aged 57) Saint Petersburg
Occupation(s)	Flautist, Composer

Ernesto Köhler (4 December 1849 – 17 March 1907) was an Italian flautist and composer. He was considered one of the best flautists of his era.^[1]

Born in Modena, Köhler was taught the flute by his father, Venceslau Joseph Köhler, who was the first flute of the Duke of Modena's orchestra.^[1] He moved to Vienna in 1869 as a flautist, and then became a member of the orchestra of the Imperial Opera in Saint Petersburg beginning in 1871.

Noted as a composer for flute, Köhler wrote over 100 works for the instrument: études, duets, and solos. He also produced an opera and several ballets. He is well known among flute players for "Flöten-Schule" (c. 1880), his popular method for learning the flute, and for Progress in Flute Playing (his Opus 33, published in the 1880s), a series of three progressive instructional books for the flute player.

Köhler also had ties to the mandolin community; he is credited with writing an early mandolin method, Mandolinen Schule, self instructor for the mandolin, first published in 1887.^[2] His mandolin method is thought to be the first mandolin method published in Russian.^[3] His publisher was Julius Heinrich Zimmermann.

Ernesto Köhler died in Saint Petersburg on 17 March 1907.^[1]

• Köhler's Page
• Inside cover biography of Ernesto Köhler, "Progress in Flute playing (Op.33) Book 3: 8 Advanced studies", Chester Music, edited by Edward Blakeman http://www.chesternovello.com/default.aspx

• Free scores by Ernesto Köhler at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)