Johann Peter Salomon (20 February 1745 aptized– 25 November 1815) was a German

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

and musical

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

. Although an accomplished violinist, he is best known for bringing

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

to London and for conducting the symphonies that Haydn wrote during his stay in England. He also knew and worked with

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

and

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Life

Johann Peter Salomon was born in January 1745 into a Jewish family in Bonn (but was baptized as an infant) and was the second son of Philipp Salomon, an

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

at the court in Bonn. His birth home was at Bonngasse 515, coincidentally the later birth home of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

. In 1758, at the age of thirteen, he became a violinist in the orchestra of the Elector Clemens August at Bonn.Clarke, A. M. "Biographical Dictionary of Fiddlers." ''Musical standard 3'' (1895), no. 64: 242–243, ProQuest. Seven years later, Salomon went on tour and traveled to Berlin and Frankfort. Following this he arrived in Rheinsberg where he soon became the concert master and composer for the orchestra of

Prince Heinrich of Prussia A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in some ...

. He composed several works for the court, including four

operas Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a li ...

and an

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

. The orchestra of Prince Henrich was where Salomon premiered

's works. He moved to London in the early 1780s, where he worked as a composer and played violin as a soloist and in a

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

. In 1786 he orchestrated a series of performances at the Hanover Square Rooms, of which he introduced Haydn's and Mozart's symphonies. While in London, Salomon composed two operas for the Royal Opera, several art songs, a number of

concertos A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ty ...

, and chamber music pieces. He is perhaps best known today, however, as a concert organizer and conductor. In 1790 Salomon traveled through Europe to recruit singers for the Italian opera. He was specifically drawn to Vienna since Prince Eszterhazy had recently died. He was focused on coercing Haydn to travel to England, which he did in 1791–92 and 1794–95. Together with Haydn, Salomon premiered many works that Haydn composed while in England. Haydn wrote his symphonies numbers 93 to 104 for these trips, sometimes known as the Salomon symphonies (more widely known as the

London symphonies The London symphonies, sometimes called the Salomon symphonies after Johann Peter Salomon who introduced London to Joseph Haydn, were composed by Joseph Haydn between 1791 and 1795. They can be categorized into two groups: Symphonies Nos. 93–98, ...

). Salomon is also said to have provided Haydn with the original model for the text of '' The Creation''. He was one of the founder-members of the

Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a membe ...

and led the orchestra at its first concert on 8 March 1813. Salomon is also believed to have given the ''Jupiter'' nickname to

's '' Symphony No. 41''.Heartz, Daniel, ''Mozart, Haydn and Early Beethoven 1781–1802'', p. 210, Norton (2009), Salomon died aged 70 at his house in Newman Street, Westminster, on 25 November 1815, after a long illness, following an incident in the summer of 1815 when he was thrown from his horse.Robbins Landon (1976, 27) He is buried in the

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

s of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

Assessment

Memorial stone William Shield and Johann Peter Salomon

Salomon's violin playing was highly regarded in his day; for a collection of reviews, see Robbins Landon (1976, 24–27). H.C. Robbins Landon also praises his personal qualities: "Salomon was not only a clever and sensitive impresario, he was also generous, scrupulously honest, and very efficient in business matters."

, who knew Salomon from his days in Bonn, wrote to

Ries Ries is the German word for a unit of paper ream, derived from the Arabic word ''rizma''. The term can refer to: Geography * Nördlinger Ries, a large circular depression in western Bavaria, Germany. * Ries (Graz), a district of the city of Gra ...

on hearing of his death, "Salomon's death grieves me much, for he was a noble man, and I remember him since I was a child." Since 2011 the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

has awarded the ''Salomon Prize'' to highlight talent and dedication within UK orchestras.

Notes

References

*Hubert Unverricht. The ''

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', edited by Stanley Sadie (1992), and *''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), *Robbins Landon, H. C. (1976) ''Haydn: Chronicle and Works''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salomon, Johann Peter German classical violinists German male classical violinists German Classical-period composers 1745 births 1815 deaths Joseph Haydn German opera composers German male opera composers English classical composers Musicians from Bonn Accidental deaths in London Deaths by horse-riding accident in England 19th-century German male musicians Burials at Westminster Abbey 18th-century German composers