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Louis Spohr
April 5, 1784 - October 22, 1859
born in Braunschweig, Germany, composed during the Classical period
Biography
Although virtually unknown to general audiences, the musical legacy of German composer, conductor and violinist Ludwig Spohr (1784-1859) is far-reaching indeed. Little of his own music survives in the general repertoire, but he is remembered as one of the preeminent conductors of the first half of the nineteenth century and as a seminal figure in the development of modern violin playing. Also, in addition to having invented both the violin chin-rest and rehearsal numbers/letters for printed music, he was the first major conductor to use a baton.

Born in northern Germany in 1784, Spohr showed early talent for the violin, and by age 15 he was a member of the ducal orchestra at Braunschweig. At 18 he was sent by the Duke for a year of study with well-known violinist Franz Anton Eck, at the end of which time Spohr was considered ripe for a concert tour of his own. By 1805 the young virtuoso had become something of a sensation throughout Germany, where audiences adored both Spohr's playing and his compositions. Between 1805 and his death in 1859, Spohr served in a number of court positions throughout Germany and Austria. He was the leader of the orchestra at Gotha from 1805-1812, leader of the orchestra at Theater an der Wien in Vienna from 1813-1815, director of the Frankfurt Opera from 1817-1819, and Hofkapellmeister at the city of Kassel from 1822 to 1857.
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