Louis Spohr

Although virtually unknown to general audiences, the musical legacy of German composer, conductor and violinist Ludwig Spohr (known to English audiences of the day as Louis Spohr) is far-reaching indeed. Although little of his own music survives in the general repertoire, he is remembered as one of the pre-eminent 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 conducto...