Bernhard Molique

Bernhard Molique (Wilhelm Bernhard Molique; 7 October 180210 May 1869) was a German violinist and composer. Biography He was born in Nuremberg. His father was a musician and the boy studied various instruments, but finally devoted himself to the violin. In 1815, he received some lessons from Louis Spohr, and then studied the violin for two years at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München under Pietro Rovelli. Career In 1820, Molique succeeded Rovelli as court violinist in Munich and, after several successful tours, in 1826 he became music director at Stuttgart. His pupils there included the violinist Henry Blagrove; the violinist, conductor and composer Alfred Mellon; and the composer Jane Roeckel. Molique was well received on a visit to London when he played his own Piano Concerto No 5 on 14 May 1840. He visited England several other times before settling in London from 1849 until 1866. He died in Cannstatt in 1869. Compositions As a composer, Molique was unapologetically self-taught. His music displays the influence of Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn and, especially, Louis Spohr. The then radical developments represented by Berlioz (who publicly praised his violin playing) and