Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten (Kleine Passacaglia)

Johann Nepomuk David (1895 – 1977) was an Austrian composer.

David started as a choirboy in the monastery of Sankt Florian and studied at an episcopal teacher training college in Linz, 1912–1915, after which he became a school teacher.

He studied briefly (1921–2) at both the Musikhochschule (where was a composition student of Joseph Marx and the university of Vienna (where he studied with Guido Adler).

He returned to Linz in 1922, where he acted as musical director of the Linz "Kunststelle" until 1924. From January 1925 until the autumn of 1934 he was a teacher at a local catholic school, founded and directed a Bach choir, and was organist at a Protestant church at Wels.

He then became professor of composition and theory at the Musikhochschule in Leipzig (November 1934 – January 1945). From 1945 to 1947 he was professor of music at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, and finally, from 1948 to 1963, professor of theory and counterpoint (practically: composition) at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart.

At Stuttgart, he also directed the Bruckner choir (1949–52), the academy's chamber orchestra (1950–53).

David wrote many instrumental works, a lot of them for or with organ, and many choral works.

His general style changed from the modal tendencies seen in his first two symphonies to the more acerbic though still tonal sound of the later ones.

That sometimes results in strange tonal combinations, that David on purpose did not attempt to avoid.

Two photo's are included.