Leopold Hofmann
Leopold Hofmann ( born August 14, 1738 in Vienna, † March 17, 1793 ) was an Austrian composer of Viennese Classicism.
Life and work
Leopold Hofmann, son of a court official, received his musical training as a choirboy in the Chapel of the Dowager Empress Elisabeth Christine. At Hofmann's teachers included Georg Christoph Wagenseil and violinist Giuseppe Trani ( 1707-1797 ). Hofmann was his life in his hometown working as a musician and teacher. So he taught at times the children at the imperial court in play the violin and keyboard instruments. Hofmann was regarded by most of his contemporaries as a significant composer, many contemporaries placed him on a par with Haydn, Gluck, numerous awards from the City of Vienna and gifts from the imperial court underline this. Dittersdorf, Charles Burney, Johann Adam Hiller described him as a musician of great skill. Even long after his death, called him Otto Nicolai as the founder of the Viennese violin school of the 19th century. Only Joseph Haydn expressed repeatedly negative about him, as he described it in a letter of July 1781 to the Artaria Publishing House, as a braggart.
Hofmann was from 1772 to his death Director of Music at St. Stephen's Cathedral and probably choirmaster at St. Peter's. On May 9, 1791, he was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as an unpaid adjunct, provided with the right to succession to the side. After his death Johann Georg Albrechtsberger successor as conductor - lecturer at the St. Stephen's Cathedral. After the death of Leopold Hofmann 1793 Albrechtsberger itself was Director of Music and remained so until 1809.
Work
Hofmann's most famous work is the flute concertos in D major, which was mistakenly attributed to Joseph Haydn. In addition to the sacred music, including another 12 more flute concertos, numerous concertos, chamber music, symphonies, divertimenti and 67 are known. The acting in Paris musician and publisher Johann Georg Sieber (1738-1822), printed in 1760, six symphonies Hofmann
Discography
From him the end of 2012 were about seven CDs available, including
- 4 cello concertos ( Naxos)
- Flute Concertos Vol 1 ( Naxos 1999)
- 5 Symphonies ( Badley directory Bb1, F1, D4, F2, C8, Naxos)
- Two violin concertos (Naxos 1997)