Musical Cosmopolitanism in Paris 1779 – 1792
After the four best-known members of the German community in Paris , there are a good fifteen or so who arrive between 1774 and 1786 . They are skilled instrumentalists who all appear at the Concert Spirituel 118 ; and some will become professors at the National Music Conservatory [ Conservatoire National de Musique ] after 1795 . Given the current state of sources , it is impossible to say if the 30 or so musicians from beyond the Rhine formed a homogeneous group in Paris , or even a powerful lobby . There are six of them in the lodge Les Amis Réunis , four in Saint-Jean d ' Ecosse du Contrat Social , three in the lodges Patriotisme à l ' Orient at the Court of Versailles , la Société Olympique and La Candeur ; and two each in Saint-Charles , Sainte Cécile , and l ' Accord Parfait sous Diane . What is certain is that all of them become Masons after their arrival in Paris . Given the gap between their arrival dates and the date of their admittance to lodges , it is possible to assert without being too categorical that induction into Freemasonry is a crowning event — more social than musical in nature .
Coming from the Austro-Hungarian Empire , there are eight musicians originally from Bohemia 119 who arrive in Paris . At the end of the eighteenth century , nearly all musical instruction in the capital of the Austrian empire is in the hands of composers originally from Bohemia and Moravia ! A new wave will come to join them a little later . Many of them move to Germany ; several others choose France . 120 The aristocracy , the Austrian nobility , opted to summer in the countries of Bohemia . Each family will organize its own group of instrumentalists depending on its means , which is why this repertoire takes off in such an extraordinary way in the eighteenth century . Alongside the composers whose works will still be played are a number of minor masters whose names remain lost to us . The colony of musicians originally from Bohemia falls in this category . 121 Joseph Beer ( 1744 – 1812 ), a clarinetist , was at first a musician in the troupes of the Emperor of Austria , then he goes to France , entering the service of the Duke of Orleans from 1768 to 1777 ; he is heard playing a number of times at the Concert Spirituel ; and he was a member of the Neuf Sœurs lodge , beginning in 1778 . His compatriot François Joseph Heina is a horn player with a good reputation ; he is known as one of Mozart ' s few friends during his stays in Paris . Heina was a member of the lodge La Réunion des Arts in 1777 , and la Société Olympique in 1786 . There is Jean-Baptiste Krumpholtz ( 1742 – 1790 ), Haydn ' s disciple in composition and Christian Hochbrücker ' s disciple on the harp ; he was a musician in the house of Prince Esterhazy in Austria . He arrives in Paris in 1777 , and is considered the greatest harpist of his time ; he becomes a member of Saint-Jean d ' Ecosse du Contrat Social in 1782 . Johann Palza ( 1752 – 1792 ), was a horn player who came to Paris at the age of 18 ; he was in the service of the Prince of Guémené , a member of the Neuf Sœurs lodge in 1778 ; he leaves Paris in 1783 for a career as soloist at various German courts . The most famous is Franz Anton Rosetti ( 1750 – 1792 ) 122 ; after being canon at Prague ’ s cathedral , he is Prince von Öttingen- Wallersteinde ' s Kapellmeister in Bohemia ; around 1780 , he moves to Paris as a violinist and composer . A prolific composer like many of his colleagues , he leaves behind a very classical oeuvre : 44 symphonies , about 16 concertos , and some string quartets 123 ; during his stay in Paris , he is received in 1782 as a Freemason at the lodge La Concorde des
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Constant Pierre , Histoire du Concert Spirituel 1725 – 1790 ( Paris : Société française de musicologie , 2000 ), 372 p . 119 Today the Czech Republic . 120 Jean-Claude Berton , La Musique Tchèque ( Paris : P . U . F ., 1982 ). 121 Guy Erismann , La Musique dans les Pays Tchèques ( Paris : Fayard , 2001 ), 610 p . 122 His real name : Frantisek Antonin Rössler .
123 Part of his work is available on CD .
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