Piano Quartets

Menu

Quartets


First name: Louis Ferdinand von
Last name: Pruissia
Dates: 1772-1806
Category: Quartet
Nationality: German
Opus name: Opus 6 in f (publ 1806)
Publisher:
Peculiarities: twww.imslp.org. ; io order the music by way of the website: www.broekmans.nl 114938;RCG
Information: Friedrich Ludwig Christian, commonly known as Louis Ferdinand (November 18, 1772 - October 10, 1806), was a prince of Prussia and a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Louis Ferdinand was born in Schloss Friedrichsfelde near Berlin. He was a son of Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia and Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt, and was a nephew of King Frederick the Great. He morganatically married the Catholic countess Marie Adelaide de la Grange. He had a son from the marriage, Theodor Friedrich Klitsche de la Grange. Ludwig von Wildenbruch was an illegitimate son of Louis Ferdinand. Louis Ferdinand participated in the French Revolutionary Wars and was wounded during the Siege of Mainz. In 1806, he was one of the principal advocates of resuming the war against Napoleon and the First French Empire, triggering the War of the Fourth Coalition. He died during the opening engagement of the war, at the Battle of Saalfeld. Apart from being a soldier, Louis Ferdinand was also a gifted musician and composer. Johann Friedrich Reichardt, Kapellmeister to Frederick II and Frederick William II, considered him a great pianist. Early on Louis Ferdinand also started to compose music but he was not recognized for his compositional activities until later. His early pieces were performed by the orchestra of Prince Henry, the brother of Fredrick the Great. Later on, Prince Louis Ferdinand joined several salons in Berlin, where he frequently improvised on the piano. Among his circle of acquaintances were figures such as Schlegel, Wackenroder, and Tieck, all of whom were highly interested in music as well. Ludwig van Beethoven dedicated his Third Piano Concerto to him, a sign of high esteem for his piano playing. Anton Reicha's massive variation cycle, L'art de varier, was also written for Louis Ferdinand.