Benjamin Mayer was an Austrian composer and music teacher, born in Prague on June 10, 1831. He studied at the Prague Organ School with K. F. Pitsch, then studied law at Charles University and earned a doctorate in 1856.
Mayer worked in the civil service in Pest and Vienna while publishing compositions under the pseudonym W. A. Rémy. Its initials alluded to Wolfgang Amadeus, Mozart’s given names. In 1861 he left government service and settled in Graz, where he devoted himself to composition and teaching.
His works include five symphonies, the overture Sardanapalus, the symphonic poem Helen, the opera Forest Maidens (1876), choral works, and songs. His music followed an early Romantic style and often used illustrative effects.
Mayer became best known as a teacher. His pupils included Wilhelm Kienzl, Emil von Reznicek, Felix Weingartner, and Ferruccio Busoni, who later recalled Mayer’s reverence for Mozart and lively humor. For many years of teaching, Mayer received the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph, an unusual distinction for a private teacher. He died in Graz on January 23, 1898.