"The first singer on the violin that ever appeared!" Such was the
verdict of the enthusiastic Italians when they heard one of the greatest
of the world's violinists, who was also a great composer. The modern
world thinks of Spohr rather as the composer of symphony, opera, and
oratorio than as a wonderful executant on the violin; but it was in
the latter capacity that he enjoyed the greatest reputation during the
earlier part of his lifetime, which was a long one, extending from the
year 1784 to 1859. The latter half of Spohr's life was mostly devoted
to the higher musical ambition of creating, but not until he had
established himself as one of the greatest of virtuosos, and founded
a school of violin-playing which is, beyond all others, the most
scientific, exhaustive, and satisfactory. All of the great contemporary
violinists are disciples of the Spohr school of execution. Great as a
composer, still greater as a player, and widely beloved as a man--there
are only a few names in musical art held in greater esteem than his,
though many have evoked a deeper enthusiasm.
Ludwig Spohr was born at Brunswick, April 5, 1784, of parents both of
whom possessed no little musical talent. His father, a physician
of considerable eminence, was an excellent flutist, and his mother
possessed remarkable talent both as a pianist and singer. To the family
concerts which he heard at home was the rapid development of the boy's
talents largely due. Nature had given him a very sensitive ear and a
fine clear voice, and at the age of four or five he joined his mother
in duets at the evening gatherings. From the very first he manifested
a taste for the instrument for which he was destined to become
distinguished. He so teased his father that, at the age of six, he was
presented with his first violin, and his joy on receiving his treasure
was overpowering. The violin was never out of his hand, and he
continually wandered about the house trying to play his favorite
melodies. Spohr tells us in his "Autobiography": "I still recollect
that, after my first lesson, in which I had learned to play the G-sharp
chord upon all four strings, in my rapture at the harmony, I hurried to
my mother, who was in the kitchen, and played the chord so incessantly
that she was obliged to order me out."
Young Spohr was placed under the tuition of Dufour, a French _emigré_ of
the days of '91, who was an excellent player, though not a professional,
then living at the town of Seesen, the home of the Spohr family; and
under him the boy made very rapid progress. It was Dufour who, by
his enthusiastic representations, overcame the opposition of Ludwig's
parents to the boy's devoting himself to a life of music, for the notion
of the senior Spohr was that the name musician was synonymous with that
of a tavern fiddler, who played for dancers. In Germany, the land _par
excellence_ of music, there was a general contempt among the educated
classes, during the latter years of the eighteenth century, for the
musical profession. Spohr remained under the care of Dufour until he was
twelve years old, and devoted himself to his work with great sedulity.
Though he as yet knew but little of counterpoint and composition, his
creative talent already began to assert itself, and he produced several
duos and trios, as well as solo compositions, which evinced great
promise, though crude and faulty in the extreme. He was then sent
to Brunswick, that he might have the advantage of more scientific
instruction, and to this end was placed under the care of Kunisch,
an excellent violin teacher, and under Hartung for harmony and
counterpoint. The latter was a sort of Dr. Dryasdust, learned, barren,
acrid, but an efficient instructor. When young Spohr showed him one of
his compositions, he growled out, "There's time enough for that; you
must learn something first." It may be said of Spohr, however, that his
studies in theory were for the most part self-taught, for he was a most
diligent student of the great masters, and was gifted with a keenly
analytic mind.
At the age of fourteen young Spohr was an effective soloist, and, as his
father began to complain of the heavy expense of his musical education,
the boy determined to make an effort for self-support. After revolving
many schemes, he conceived the notion of applying to the duke, who was
known as an ardent patron of music. He managed to place himself in the
way of his Serene Highness, while the latter was walking in his garden,
and boldly preferred his request for an appointment in the court
orchestra. The duke was pleased to favor the application, and young
Spohr was permitted to display his skill at a court concert, in which he
acquitted himself so admirably as to secure the cordial patronage of the
sovereign. Said the duke: "Be industrious and well behaved, and, if you
make good progress, I will put you under the tuition of a great master."
So Louis Spohr was installed as a _Kammer-musicus_, and his patron
fulfilled his promise in 1802 by placing his _protégé_ under the charge
of Francis Eck, one of the finest violinists then living. Under the
tuition of this accomplished instructor, the young virtuoso made such
rapid advance in the excellence of his technique, that he was soon
regarded as worthy of accompanying his master on a grand concert tour
through the principal cities of Germany and Russia.