Josef Dessauer (28 May 1798 in Prague – 8 July 1876 in Mödling, near Vienna), was an Austrian-born composer who wrote many popular songs, and also some less successful operas.
Dessauer was born into a wealthy Jewish family, and studied piano in Prague with
Bedřich Diviš Weber and composition with
Wenzel Tomaschek. Dessauer began as a song composer, but later began composing operas, of which very few were performed.