KREUTZER, CONRADIN  

A native of Baden, Conradin Kreutzer won a reputation as a composer, conductor and pianist. In Vienna he conducted the works of Beethoven, Salieri and Haydn, among others. He was associated with the inventor Franz Leppich, collaborating in performances on the latter’s musical contraption, the ‘panmelodicon’. In 1811 he settled in Stuttgart, where he mounted some of his operas, in 1818 moving to Donaueschingen, where he took charge of court and church music. By 1822 he was again in Vienna, where he was music director at the Josephstadt Theatre. After numerous engagements elsewhere, he died in Riga. He was aptly described by a near contemporary as the prototype of a Biedermeier composer.

Operas

Kreutzer devoted much of his attention to opera, a medium in which his daughters were also involved. His many operas are seldom heard today, although they were admired in his time.

Orchestral Music

Kreutzer’s orchestral music includes several piano concertos, a set of Variations for clarinet and orchestra, and a Fantasia for bassoon.

Vocal Music

Kreutzer made a characteristic contribution to vocal music both sacred and secular, the latter particularly through his music for male-voice choirs and quartets, and his songs.