Scan 47
The New Grove Dictionary Of Music And Musicians 5 Ed. 2nd, 1904
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1honours was his being selected to lead the Handel Commemoration Concerts in Westminster Abbey in 1784 and 1787, until the appearance of Salomon and Viotti he was considered England's foremost violinist. He composed 11 violin concertos and a number of chamber works for string instruments, but was little noted as a composer.
3(2) Johann [John] Baptist Cramer (b Mannheim, 24 Feb 1771, d London, 16 April 1858) Composer, pianist and publisher, the eldest son of (1) Wilhelm Cramer and the most outstanding member of the family. As one of the most renowned piano performers of his day, he contributed directly to the formulation of an idiomatic piano style through his playing and his compositions. When he was about three years old he was taken to London by his mother to join his father, who had decided to establish himself in England. Wilhelm taught his son the violin from a very early age, but the child showed distinct precocity at the piano and at the age of seven was placed under the direction of J D Benser. He continued his studies with J S Schroeter from 1780 to 1783, when he was entrusted to Muzio Clementi. Although he studied with Clementi for only one year, the lessons were decisive in forming his artistic character. His formal training was completed with lessons in theory (from 1785) under C F Abel, through whom Cramer first came to know the writings of Kunberger and Marpurg. His early training acquainted him with the works of the greatest keyboard composers of the century, and by the mid-1780s he had studied works of Clementi, Schroeter, J C Bach, C P E Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Muthel, Paradies, Haydn and Mozart. He may have been introduced to Das wohltemperierte Clavier as early as 1787, and he developed a lifelong fascination for Bach. By the time Clementi left England for the Continent and Cramer's formal piano lessons were abruptly ended, he had already attracted attention as a performer in London. He made his formal debut on 5 April 1781, appearing in his father's annual benefit concert. He performed occasionally during the next few years, at one concert (in 1784) playing a duet for two pianos with Clementi.
5In 1788 Cramer undertook his first foreign tour and visited the major cities of France and Germany, including Paris and Berlin. While in France he was given a number of J S Bach's MSS. His earliest compositions were also published during his stay in France. On his return to England in 1791 he immediately began an active performing career, and during the next nine seasons established himself as England's most remarkable young pianist, capable of providing stiff competition for the older virtuosos. He participated as a soloist in both major series, the Professional Concerts and the Salomon Concerts, as well as appearing in numerous benefit concerts. He made the acquaintance of all the eminent artists who appeared in London during that decade, including Haydn, and he began to gain recognition as a composer and teacher.
7Cramer left London in 1799 for a second journey that included the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. He met Beethoven in Vienna, initiating a warm and mutually rewarding relationship, and he renewed his friendly association with Haydn. On his return to England in 1800 he married almost immediately. The activities of his first 30 years had brought him into contact with nearly all the most prominent musicians of Europe, including Hummel, Dussek, Weber, Kalkbrenner, Cherubini and Wolf, in addition to those already mentioned. In later years he came to know Ries, Czerny, Moscheles, Mendelssohn, Liszt and Berlioz. He championed with characteristic vigour the works of composers whom he admired; his performances of Bach and Mozart, in particular, created great excitement, and he helped to introduce Beethoven's sonatas to English audiences. His impact as a popularizer of music by other composers seems to have been felt as much by his playing at private gatherings as by his concert appearances, for he preferred private music-making, even when travelling abroad.
9After 1800 Cramer's public career was centred almost entirely on England. He taught privately at least into the 1820s, commanding the top fee of one guinea per lesson. But he travelled again from 1816 to 1818, visiting Amsterdam and Mannheim. While abroad he continued to renew and expand his associations, but his public performances were apparently rare. His mature years in London were marked by many signs of high regard. To admiring English audiences he was their 'Glorious John', and his appearances continued to stir excitement until his formal retirement. He was one of the founders of the Philharmonic Society in 1813, and he was appointed to the board of the RAM on its foundation in 1822.
11Following the very successful example of Clementi, Cramer entered the music publishing business. His earliest ventures included a partnership known as Cramer & Keys in 1805, and another partnership with Samuel Chappell (later of CHAPPELL & Co Ltd) from 1810 to 1819. A more lasting firm was established in 1824 (when Cramer joined Robert Addison and T F Beale) at a later date known as J B CRAMER & Co Ltd, which flourished from its first days and still exists.
13Cramer married for the second time in 1829, and he retired officially from public life after a gala farewell concert in 1835. His next decade included visits to Munich and Vienna and a long residence in Paris, but he returned again to England in 1845 and remained there for the rest of his life. He died at his house in Kensington and was buried in the Brompton Cemetery.
15The large volume of Cramer's compositions is only part of his musical achievement. His playing left a permanent impression on several generations of early 19th-century pianists. He received almost universal admiration for his playing, even Beethoven considered him the finest pianist of the day, according to Ries. His expressive legato touch, which later became a stylistic norm among pianists, was especially admired in Moscheles's words, his legato 'almost transforms a Mozart Andante into a vocal piece'. His refinement in improvisation and the remarkable independence of his fingers were equally renowned, they are also evidence of his Classical ideals and distinguish him from more dramatically inclined later generations. By the end of his long career his playing may have become somewhat outmoded. Certainly Wilhelm von Lenz found his playing in the 1840s dry and harsh, though at the same time August Gathy contradicted Lenz's judgment. Cramer himself noted the changing fashions when he described earlier playing as 'fort bien' ('very good') and the newer style as 'bien fort' ('very strong').
17Many aspects of Cramer's compositional style are strikingly conservative. He apparently liked to view himself as a latter-day Mozartian, preserving Mozart's
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