Stamitz, Anton

The youngest son of the Czech composer and violinist Jan Vaclav Stamitz , Anton Stamitz was born in Mannheim, where his father led the famous chapel at the court of Charles IV Theodore . The exact date of birth is unknown, but according to some sources, he was baptized on November 27, 1750 ^[1] . Like his brother Carl , Anton studied violin with his father, and after his death in 1757, with his older brother; then he was accepted for training by Christian Cannabich , the successor of J.V. Stamitz, as the bandmaster of the Mannheim Orchestra .

In the years 1764-1770, Anton Stamitz was the 2nd violinist in the Mannheim Chapel. In 1770, Paris went with Charles and since then, until the end of his days, he lived in the capital of France. In 1772, Stamitz Jr. first performed in Paris as a soloist in "Spiritual Concerts." In 1770 and 1774 he performed at the Vienna Society of Musicians. He gained fame not only as a violin virtuoso, but also as an viola player and violin performer ^[1] . In the years 1782-1789, Stamitz played in the Royal Chapel at Versailles and received the title "ordinaire de la musique du roi". He also taught playing the violin; the most famous of Anton Stamitz’s students is Rodolf Kreutzer ^[1] .

Anton Stamitz died in Paris, but in what year, it is not known for certain ^[1] .

As a composer, Anton Stamitz continued the traditions of the Mannheim school. He is the author of 15 symphonies , 6 concert symphonies , 6 double concerts with an orchestra (mainly for 2 violins), concerts for other instruments, including 15 for violin, 5 for piano, several for viola, one concerto for flute and one for oboe. He wrote 90 instrumental duets, mainly for 2 violins, 18 string trios , 54 string quartets ^[1] .