Theodore Frederic Molt (originally Johann Friedrich Molt; 13 February 1795 – 16 November 1856)
[ was a German-born music teacher, composer and organist in Canada. He published several works on teaching methods in music.
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Life
Molt was born in Gschwend, near Stuttgart, the son of a Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
organist. Soon after entering university he was conscripted into Napoleon's army, and served as assistant paymaster. On returning home he studied music; in 1822 he went to Canada, and lived in Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
, where he was a teacher of piano and music theory. In 1823 he married Henriette, daughter of Frédéric-Henri Glackemeyer, a musician in Quebec.["Theodore Frederic Molt"]
The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 19 August 2020.Ignaz Moscheles
Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano at the ...
, Karl Czerny and Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
; it is thought that he did not receive lessons from them. Beethoven presented him with the canon "Freu' dich des Lebens". Molt returned to Canada in June 1826, and continued as a music teacher.[
He published in 1828 ''Elementary Treatise on Music/Traité élémentaire de musique'', the first bilingual Canadian treatise on music.][ In 1833 he moved to Burlington, Vermont, where he was a teacher at the Burlington Female Seminary, and composed music. He moved to ]Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
in 1837; apparently unsuccessful there as a teacher, he returned to Quebec City by 1841.[
In that year Molt was appointed organist at Québec Basilica,][ where he established a cathedral choir; in 1845 he published ''Traité élémentaire de musique vocale''. In June 1846, his wife and two of his children died when the Théâtre Saint-Louis burned down. Two years later he married Harriett Cowan.][
In 1849 Antoine Dessane replaced him as organist at Québec Basilica, and he moved to Burlington, resuming teaching at the Burlington Female Seminary. He published during this time ''A New and original method for the pianoforte, 51 progressive lessons'', and ''The pupil’s guide and young teacher’s manual, or the elements of piano forte playing''.][
Molt died in Burlington in 1856.][
]
Compositions
He composed piano pieces and songs, some of which were published in Canada and America.[ He made many arrangements of sacred music. ''La lyre canadienne: répertoire des meilleures chansons et romances du jour'', published anonymously in Quebec in 1847, is attributed to Molt.][
]
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Molt, Theodore Frederic
1795 births
1856 deaths
Canadian organists
19th-century Canadian composers
19th-century organists