SPOHR, Lunwin, an eminent German musical composer and violinist, on of a physi cian of Brunswick, was b. in that town in 1784. He began his violin studies in boy hood; at the age of 12 lie played a violin concerto of his own at the court of Brunswick; and at 13 he obtained an appointment as chamber-musician to the duke. A few years later he made h musical tour through Russia and Germany, giving concerts, and acquiring a high reputation as a performer on the violin. In 1804 he became music director at the court of Saxe-Gotha, and held afterward for several years the office of music director of the Theater an der Wien at Vienna. Ile visited Italy in 1817, Paris in 1819, and in 1820 appeared in London, where he was received with great applause at the Philharmonic society's concerts, and produced two symphonies and an overture. In 1823 lie became kapeffincister at the court of Hesse-Cassel, which post he continued to hold till 1857, when he retired from professional life. He died in 1859. Spohr's musi cal works include seven operas—Phust, Jessonda, Zemira and Azor, Der Ziceikampf der Geliebten, Der Berggeist, Peter von Albano, and Der Akhymist; three oratorios, Die letzten Dinge, Des Ileiland's leizte Stunden, and Der Fall Babylons; various masses, psalms, and hymns, six grand symphonies, four overtures, besides nonets, quartets, violin con certos, sonatas for violin and harp, fantasias, and rondos. Die letzten Dinge, or Last
Judgment, is a very grand and very attractive work; so also is Der TUll Babylons, first produced at a Norwich musical festival. Of his operas, the most esteemed are Faust and Jessonda, the latter remarkable for its successful embodiment of the spirit of oriental poetry. His songs are rather deficient in broad and decided melody; but his instrumer, tal works occupy a very high place in the estimation of musicians, more especially the C minor symphony, and the symphony known as Die Welke der lone. As a violinist Spohr's purity of tone and high finish have never been surpassed, and his Violinsehule is the best and most complete work on violin-playing ever written.—See The Auto biography of L. Spohr; translated from the German (Lond. 1864).