Ferdinand Fränzl

Ferdinand Fränzl (24 May 1767 in Schwetzingen – 27 October 1833 in Mannheim) was a German violinist, composer, conductor, opera director, and a representative of the third generation of the so-called Mannheim school. The quality of his violin playing must have been comparable to his father’s who in turn was one of the best violinists of his generation. The violinist and composer Louis Spohr, however, who heard him at least twice already in 1810 judged Fränzl’s playing as old-fashioned, reminiscent of a bygone era; he also criticised Fränzel’s impure tone. Biography Fränzl was the grandson of trumpeter and viola player Ferdinand Rudolph Fränzl. His first teacher was his father Ignaz Fränzl, a competent composer himself and one of the foremost violinists of his day. Ferdinand entered the Mannheim court orchestra in 1782. Already in 1785 he went on his first concert tour. Although already an accomplished virtuoso, Fränzl (probably supervised by his father) rounded off his education in Strasbourg. Here he received lessons in composition and counterpoint form Franz Xaver Richter and Ignaz Pleyel. The two, as disparate as they were, made a good pair of teachers for the young Fränzl. Rich