Composer of the week - Louis Spohr

[Peter]

This neglected composer was once as famous as Beethoven in his day and compared to Mozart! He obviously has suffered from these over-inflated views and is correspondingly paying the unjust price of virtual obscurity today. He was on friendly terms with Beethoven for many years whilst in Vienna and we have some interesting recollections from him. He is the BBC's composer of the week - I was listening the other day without knowing who the composer of a certain clarinet concerto was (I suspected Weber) until I heard the theme from Haydn's 95th symphony which I knew Spohr had used (I thought it was from the octet or perhaps he used it there as well?). Apparently he was a giant of a man at 6'7!! A prolific composer and virtuoso violinist who also introduced the chin rest for violinists and was one of the first to use a baton.

[Chris]

who also introduced the chin rest for violinists

Thank you, Louis!

I occasionally hear from him on my local classical radio station. He certainly deserves more recognition than he normally gets.

[PBB]

I sang in a production of Spohr’s opera Jessonda with the Oxford University Opera Club in about 1980. It struck me as pleasant rather than outstanding, but I was very young :-)

Apart from a couple of psalm settings on a BBC Music CD, I haven’t come across him since – except in the Mikado’s song, of course.

[Peter]

Hummel - also "neglected". And who also wrote a pretty good 'cello sonata. Did not Beethoven hold this composer in high regard?

As a musician and friend until they fell out but I'm not sure of his opinions on Hummel the composer - after all the only contemporary composer he expressed any admiration for was Cherubini.

[Peter]

Which has often perplexed me.

Well can you name many that rank with Beethoven from that time? The most perplexing of all is Schubert and I find it incredible that he was so anonymous - I suppose one reason was Italian opera which of course affected Beethoven's popularity but not his fame which is what I'm getting at in another thread!

[Roehre]

The most perplexing of all is Schubert and I find it incredible that he was so anonymous - I suppose one reason was Italian opera which of course affected Beethoven's popularity but not his fame which is what I'm getting at in another thread!

Another reason is that Schubert was not a performing artist himself, with as consequence that he wqasn't able to promote his music by performing it himself (as e.g. Beethoven did als piano virtuoso), and that he for many was "only" a dilettante, because of his job as teacher.

[Peter]

Another reason is that Schubert was not a performing artist himself, with as consequence that he wqasn't able to promote his music by performing it himself (as e.g. Beethoven did als piano virtuoso), and that he for many was "only" a dilettante, because of his job as teacher.

Nor was Haydn and yet his greatest successes were in London - perhaps Schubert (as a much younger man) should have travelled more!

[Roehre]

Nor was Haydn and yet his greatest successes were in London - perhaps Schubert (as a much younger man) should have travelled more!

Haydn was a "professional" composer/conductor at that time (in London he was well in his late fifties/early sixties), but his first decades in the service of the Eszterhazys (beginning 1761) he was hardly known at all. At the age Schubert died (31), Haydn just started to compose his first symphonies (early 1760s), and was virtually unknown outside Eszterhaza (summer-) or Eisenstadt (winter-residence of his masters).

[Peter]

Haydn was a "professional" composer/conductor at that time (in London he was well in his late fifties/early sixties), but his first decades in the service of the Eszterhazys (beginning 1761) he was hardly known at all. At the age Schubert died (31), Haydn just started to compose his first symphonies (early 1760s), and was virtually unknown outside Eszterhaza (summer-) or Eisenstadt (winter-residence of his masters).

Yes that's true and the music alone rather than Haydn's performing abilities were responsible for his success and fame. What is interesting in his case is how valued he was in London as opposed to Vienna and maybe that was part of the problem? Without Salomon might Haydn have retired in 'respected' obscurity?