Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/476

 Charles Auguste de Bériot (d. 1870) was the founder of a Belgian school of players, an offshoot from the French. He was born at Louvain in 1802, had foundation training there, and at 9 played in public. In 1821 he appeared at Paris and later in England. From 1821 he was royal violinist at Paris and from 1826 at Brussels. From 1830 he toured extensively, partly with Mme. Malibran, whom he married in 1836 (she died the same year). In 1842 he declined a place in the Paris Conservatoire, but in 1843 accepted one in the Brussels conservatory. In 1852 ill-health caused his retirement and in 1858 he became blind. His style allied him with Paganini as an executant and with the French opera-writers as a composer. He wrote with fluent elegance 10 concertos, 4 trios, many variations and études, and a good, but prolix, method (1858).

Johann Wenzeslaus Kalliwoda (d. 1866) was born at Prague in 1800, studied there with Dionys Weber and Pixis, and from 1816 played in the theatre-orchestra. From 1823 he was conductor to Prince Fürstenberg at Donaueschingen (So. Baden), retiring in 1853 to Carlsruhe. Though a refined and pleasing player, he was more notable as a popular composer of no special strength. His works included 7 symphonies, 14 overtures, 13 orchestral fantasias, 2 concertos, 7 concertinos, many chamber and solo works, and much effective vocal music, with 2 operas. The worth of some of these attracted the interest of Schumann.

Wilhelm Bernhard Molique (d. 1869) was born at Nuremberg, and studied under his father and Rovelli, succeeding the latter as leader at Munich in 1822. He also had lessons from Spohr. From 1826 he was leader at Stuttgart under Lindpaintner, and in 1849 removed to London. From 1822 he made many long tours. As a player he followed the solid school of Spohr, and as composer ranked high for both invention and construction. His works included a symphony, 6 excellent concertos, 8 quartets, several concertanti for various combinations, numerous lesser pieces, etc., besides the oratorio Abraham (1860, Norwich) and 2 masses.

Among scores of other players and composers the following names may be cited:—

From the French group—Alexandre Jean Boucher (d. 1861), active for more than 60 years, with more cleverness than musicianship; François Antoine Habeneck (d. 1849), the best-known of three brothers, a public player at 10 (1791), then a pupil of Baillot, long professor at the Conservatoire (1806-15, '25-48), Kreutzer's successor as Opéra-conductor in 1826 and the founder of the Conservatoire concerts in 1828, where he made Beethoven's symphonies known in Paris, the composer of 2 concertos and some other works; Jacques Féréol Mazas (d. 1849), also a pupil of Baillot, who, after orchestral work from 1805, in 1811-29 toured all Europe, was then teacher at Paris, Orleans and (from 1837) Cambrai, and left works still highly regarded, including 2 concertos, much chamber music, many fantasias; excellent studies, methods for both violin and viola, and 3 operas; Chrétien Urhan (d. 1845), a pupil of Le Sueur and an assistant of Baillot in quartet work, from 1816 in the Opéra-orchestra, prominent at the Conservatoire concerts in the use of Woldemar's 5-string violin, and the composer of interesting chamber pieces; Jean Henri Simon (d. 1861), pupil of Lahoussaye and Rode, a prom