Matthäus Nagiller (1815–1874)

Matthäus Nagiller was born in the Tyrol, and in the years 1842–1848 he lived in Paris. He lectured at the Conservatory, and from 1843 he taught Tellefsen composition, probably until the latter took up lessons with Chopin. Nagiller was well trained in the Bach tradition and very keen on spreading interest in it. Tellefsen was careful to inform his parents about his teacher's solid knowledge and skills, which were to attest his qualifications as a teacher and ensure Tellefsen of the best education in the field of composition:

“I've begun taking lessons in theory from a student of Sechter, a famous Viennese contrapuntist, whose name is Nagiller, and who is a great composer and has a solid knowledge from Kirnberger, as Sechter belongs to the circle of Kirnberger and Bach; you would not imagine how happy he was when I showed him my treasures of Wernicke, Lindeman and the Bachs; he was extremely happy and found in Die Kunst des reinen Satzes an appendix which he could not get in Vienna in a great music library.”