Ernst Michael Mangel (1800,Karlsburg,Transylvania – 13 January 1887,Athens,Greece) was aHungarian musician, composer, andphilhellene, who became the director of the firstmilitary band ofRevolutionary Greece and theGreek Kingdom.
Ernst Mangel was born in 1800 in theTransylvanian city ofGyulafehérvár (in German: Karlsburg, in Romanian: Alba Iulia). There is no information about his youth and early musical education inGyulafehérvár. After the outbreak of theGreek Revolution in 1821, Mangel joined the movement ofPhilhellenism, and in 1823 he went to Greece to fight alongside the Greeks. In 1824, Mangel and his father arrived inMissolonghi, where they entered the regular brigade which was under formation under the auspices ofLord Byron.[1]
After Byron's death, he followed the French philhellene, ColonelCharles Nicolas Fabvier, who was tasked with creating a regular army. From then on, Mangel's activity is known by the Greek fighter and writerChristos Vyzantios. According to Vyzantios, Mangel was a German from theKingdom of Württemberg, who had served before as a lieutenant in the French Army. As part of the first regular regiment, Fabvier organized a military band, called the Musical Troupe (Μουσικός Θίασος), and entrusted its direction to Mangel. Under the command of Fabvier, Mangel and his band took part in the Athens campaign of 1825, and in expeditions the islands ofEuboea andChios.
In 1828, with the arrival of the first Governor of Greece,John Kapodistrias, Mangel and his orchestra settled inNafplion, the then capital of Greece. After the liberation of Greece and with the establishment of a monarchy under theBavarian princeOtto, the orchestra initially remained in Nafplion, but then, on the arrival of Bavarian military bands, was transferred to nearbyArgos. In 1834 Mangel converted toGreek Orthodoxy, choosing the name "Michael", married a local woman, and left the army.
Following the establishment in 1843 of a Music School in Athens, Mangel was recalled to active service and appointed the School's director. At the same time Mangel wrote military marches on the basis of Greek folk music and adapted European marches for local use. Later, Mangel was promoted to musical inspector and retired in 1870 with the rank of Major.[2]
Manuscripts of three triumphal marches dedicated to King Otto, are stored in theBavarian State Library in the city ofMunich.
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