Ignaz Alberti

Ignaz Alberti (11 April 1760, in Vienna - 31 August 1794, in Vienna) was an Austrian illustrator, engraver and book printer. He employed some 20 engravers in 1787 who applied their skills to cartography and botanical books. After his death his widow managed the printing and publication. His 1796 Vienna edition of the New Testament was printed and published by his widow, was banned by the Catholic Church, and appeared without imprimatur.

Alberti engraved and printed the frontispiece for the original libretto of Mozart's ''Die Zauberflöte'' in Vienna in 1791. He was one of Mozart's fellow Masons in the ''Lodge Zur gekrönten Hoffung''. The frontispiece was so richly embellished with Masonic symbolism that it was removed from all subsequent editions of the libretto.

Another publication to which Mozart contributed his final three lieder (K. 596-8), was the ''Liedersammlung für Kinder und Kinderfreunde am Clavier'' published in 1791 by Ignaz Alberti - this was the first in a set of four volumes of children’s songs to be published in Vienna.

Alberti was instrumental in the preparing, printing and publishing many volumes on natural history, librettos, oratory and other topics. Among these were

*Joachim Johann Nepomuk Spalowsky's ''"Prodromus in Systema Historicum Testaceorum"'' published posthumously in 1795 by his widow. *''Mauerrede auf Mozarts Tod"' 1792 *''Dankopfer Franz dem Zweyten, Kaiser der Deutschen'' 1792 *''Die ganze heilige Schrift, nach der in der Katholischen Kirche'' 1791-3 *Ovid's ''Verwandlungen in Kupfern und mit den nöthigen erlaäuterungen versehen heraus gegeben von einer Gesellschaft'' 1791-93. *Emanuel Schikaneder's ''Die Zauberflöte'' 1791. *''Liedersammlung für Kinder und Kinderfreunde am Clavier'' 1791. *''Trauerrede auf Joseph II. zur Gedächtnisfeier gehalten in einer Versammlung der F. M. in derLoge zur gekr. Hofn. im Or. zu Wien'' 1790.

Alberti is sometimes confused with the engraver Ignaz Albrecht.

File:Ignaz Alberti02.jpg|''Primula elatior''
''Icones Plantarum Medico-Oeconomico-Technologicarum'' File:Die Zauberflöte, Ignaz Alberti.jpg|Frontispiece of the first edition of ''Die Zauberflöte'' (1791) File:Ignaz Alberti06.jpg|Old Testament published in Vienna (1793) File:Prodromus in systema historicum testaceorum.pdf|Joachim Johann Nepomuk Spalowsky's ''"Prodromus in Systema Historicum Testaceorum"'' (1795) Provided by Wikipedia