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.

Life

Molt was born in Gschwend, near

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, the son of a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

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 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 Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, 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. He travelled to Europe in June 1825, and met musicians including

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 in the Co ...

, Karl Czerny 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 ...

; 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 Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, where he was a teacher at the Burlington Female Seminary, and composed music. He moved to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

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

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Molt, Theodore Frederic 1795 births 1856 deaths Canadian organists 19th-century Canadian composers 19th-century German organists