Louis Spohr

Louis Spohr (April 5, 1784–October 22, 1859) was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Born Ludwig Spohr, he is usually known by the French form of his name outside Germany.

Works

Spohr was a prolific composer whose opus list amounts to over 150 works, in addition to a number of works without opus number. He wrote music in all genres. His nine symphonies (a tenth was left unfinished, but was brought to completion by Eugene Minor and premiered by the Bergen Youth Orchestra) show a progress from the classical style of his predecessors to the programme music of the ninth symphony, Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons). Spohr wrote more violin concertos than any other great composer of the time, sixteen in all. Some of them are formally unconventional such as the one-movement Concerto No. 8 in the style of an operatic aria. Better known today, however, are the four clarinet concertos, all written for the clarinet virtuoso Johann Simon Hermstedt, which have established a secure place in clarinettists' repertoire.

Related Topics:
Opus number - Symphonies - Programme music - Concerto - Clarinet - Johann Simon Hermstedt

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Among Spohr's chamber music is a series of no fewer than 36 string quartets, as well as four interesting double quartets for two string quartets. He also wrote an assortment of other quartets, duos, trios, quintets and sextets, an octet and a nonet, works for solo violin and for solo harp, and works for violin and harp to be played by him and his wife together.

Related Topics:
Chamber music - String quartet - Harp

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Though obscure today, Spohr's best operas Faust (1813), Zemire und Azor (1819) and Jessonda (1823) remained in the popular repertoire through the 19th century and well into the 20th when Jessonda was banned by Nazis because it depicted a European hero in love with an Indian princess. Spohr also wrote dozens of songs, many of them called Deutsche Lieder (German Songs), as well as a mass and other choral works.

Related Topics:
Opera - 19th century - 20th - Nazis - Europe - India

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Spohr was a noted violinist, and invented the violin chin-rest. He was also a significant conductor, being one of the first to use a baton and also inventing rehearsal letters, the large letters which are found on sheet music (they enable a conductor to ask the orchestra to start playing "from letter C", for example).

Related Topics:
Rehearsal letter - Sheet music

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In addition to musical works, Spohr wrote an entertaining and informative autobiography, published posthumously in 1860.

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