Spohr - clarinet concerto 1
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Louis Spohr
German composer, violinist and conductor (1784–1859)
"Spohr" redirects here. For others with the surname, see Spohr (surname).
Louis Spohr ([ˈluːiˈʃpo:ɐ], 5 April 1784 – 22 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr,[1] later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig was a German composer, violinist and conductor.
Highly regarded during his lifetime,[2] Spohr composed ten symphonies, ten operas, eighteen violin concerti, four clarinet concerti, four oratorios, and various works for small ensemble, chamber music, and art songs.[3] Spohr invented the violin chinrest and the orchestral rehearsal mark. His output spans the transition between Classical and Romantic music,[3] but fell into obscurity following his death, when his music was rarely heard. The late twentieth century saw a modest revival[4] of interest in his oeuvre primarily in Europe, but his reputation has never been restored to that of his lifetime.
Life
Spohr was born in Braunschweig in the duchy of Brunswi
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Louis Spohr: Life and Works © Martin Wulfhorst 2006
1. First Period: Youth, First Positions, and First Concert Tours (to 1812)
2. Second Period: Vienna, Frankurt, Travel Years (1813–21)
3. Third Period: The Early Kassel Years (1822–34)
4. Fourth Period: Old Age in Kassel (1835–59)
5. Philosophy and Aesthetics
6. The Ingredients of Spohr's Style: Violin Concerto Op. 2
7. Stylistic Development
8. Reception and Assessment
This essay is based on the author’s publications, in particular:
Louis Spohr's Early Chamber Music (1796– 1812): A Contribution to the History of Nineteenth-Century Genres. 2 vols. Ph.D. dissertation in music (musicology), City University of New York, 1995 (currently withheld from UMI, pending publication as eBook).
"Louis Spohr and the Metronome: a Contribution to Early Nineteenth-Century Performance Practice." Henryk Wieniawski: Composer and Virtuoso in the Musical Culture of the XIX and XX Centuries [Proceedings of the international musicological conference, held in Poznan on
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Louis Spohr
Born in Braunschweig, German composer, violinist and conductor Louis Spohr was born on Arpil 5th 1784. He was very well respected during his own lifetime but after his death, his works fell into relative obscurity. Aged 15, he was employed by Duke Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand of Brunswick as a chamber musician in 1799 after being impressed by his violin playing in a concert. Through working for the Duke, Spohr came into contact with violinist Franz Eck and, after going on a concert tour with him, entered into his tutelage, with Eck completely restructuring Spohr’s technique. Later, Spohr travelled to and performed in Leipzig in 1804. The influential music critic Friedrich Rochlitz said of the concert that he was brought ‘to his knees’ by both Spohr’s playing and by his compositions. This review flung the young composer into fame almost overnight among the entire German-speaking world. He later became good friends with Ludwig van Beethoven, and spent much time at his home whilst working on his works. His longest post of employment was as the director of music in the court of
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