Scan 35
Celebrated violinists, past and present; ("The Strad" library), 1897
2 lines. Read by computer on 18 September 2026. Printed page 23. See the scan on archive.org.
1But how came Kreutzer to be mixed up with the sonata? Kreutzer, who at that time stood with Baillot and Rode at the head of the Paris Conservatoire violin-classes, was travelling in Austria and arrived in Vienna in 1798. There he became acquainted with Beethoven. Being a famous French artist he was often to be seen at the French Embassy, presided over by General Bernadotte, who later, during the pregnancy of the Empress, was compelled to remain two long months in his official capacity at the Court. Kreutzer then used to amuse him by playing to him, for he was a genuine lover of music: and an opportunity was found for an introduction to Beethoven. This "music-making" with Bernadotte, who ultimately became king of Sweden, lasted for several weeks, and was the means of producing a lasting friendship between Kreutzer and Beethoven. A few years later the violinist received a proof of the great master's amiability in the dedication of the sonata, which has since then been known the wide world over as the Kreutzer Sonata. Its title in the original edition is Sonata per il pianoforte ed un Violino obligato, scritta in un stilo molto concertante, quasi come d'un Concerto. Composta e dedicata al suo amico R. Kreutzer, Membro del Conservatorio di Musica in Parigi. Primo violino dell' Academia delle Arti, e della Camera Imperiale, per L. van Beethoven. Opera 47. A Bonn, chez N. Simrock.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.