Krommer (Krarnár), Franz Vincez (František Vincenc)

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Krommer (Krarnář), Franz Vincez (František Vincenc)

Krommer (Krarnář), Franz Vincez (František Vincenc), Moravian violinist, conductor, and composer; b. Kamenitz, Nov. 27, 1759; d. Vienna, Jan. 8, 1831. He studied with his uncle, Anton Matthias Krommer, a choirmaster and composer in Turan (1773–76), but was self- taught in composition. He became a violinist in the orch. of the Duke of Styrum in Simon-tornya (1786), becoming his music director (1788). He was made Kapellmeister of Pecs Cathedral (1790), then Kapellmeister and composer to Duke Karólyi (1793) and Prince Grassalkovich de Gyarak; became Kapellmeister to Duke Ignaz Fuchs (1798). He returned to Vienna, and was made Ballett- Kapellmeister at the Hofkapelle (1810). He then was Kammertürhüter to the Emperor (1815). He was the last official director of chamber music and court composer to the Habsburg monarchy (from 1818). He wrote a number of accomplished solo concertos for wind instruments, as well as syms., sacred works, much chamber music, and piano pieces.

Bibliography

K. Padrta, František K. a jeho orchestrální skladby (F. K. and His Orchestral Compositions; diss., Univ. of Brno, 1949); idem, František Vincenc Kramář-Krommer: Studie k životopismým a slohovým otázkám (FV. K.-K.: Bibliographical and Stylistic Questions; Brno, 1966).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire