Jean Joseph Bott

Jean Joseph Bott (9 March 1826 – 28 April 1895) was a German violinist and composer who emigrated to the United States late in his life. Early life and education He was born in Cassel, Grand Duchy of Hesse, where he received his first musical instruction from his father, a court musician. At the age of 9, he was proficient enough to make a performance tour of the Netherlands with his father. After winning the Frankfurt Mozart scholarship in 1841, he began studies of theory and composition under Moritz Hauptmann and violin under Louis Spohr, and after two years of study entered the Cassel court orchestra, where he became concertmaster at the age of 17. Career In 1846, he left Cassel to travel through the German-speaking lands. He played before William I, the King of Prussia, and was accompanied by Liszt and Meyerbeer. In 1852, he was made second Hofkapellmeister at Cassel, but was dismissed in 1856. In 1857, he became court kapellmeister at Meiningen, and then in 1865 accepted a similar position in the Kingdom of Hanover. On 20 May 1877, Bott was drunk and fell off the podium while conducting a performance of Liszt’s oratorio Die Legende von der Heilige Elisabeth. He was pensioned o