Carl Ludwig Matthes (born 1751) was a German oboist and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

of the classical era. While Matthes' surviving works are relatively few in number, they do provide some insight into his compositional style. His Six Duets for two oboes, Op. 1, for example, are notable for

Composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

melodies and elegant

harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However, ...

, which are characteristic of the classical style. The Concerto for oboe and orchestra in C major is similarly well-crafted, and showcases Matthes' skill as a soloist and composer.

Life

Matthes was born in Berlin, where his father was a musician. He learned the oboe from

Carlo Besozzi Carlo Besozzi (1738 – 22 March 1791) was an Italian oboist composer and member of an extensive family of oboists from the eighteenth-century Naples. Nephew of Gaetano Besozzi, he was employed in the orchestra of the Elector of Dresden and t ...

in Dresden and after this time, he "blew the oboe with great skill and an pleasant tone". He was also noted for his excellent performance of slow movements, which he played "with taste, sensitivity and pleasant tone, after the latest fashion". As an oboist, he was compared to

Johann Christian Fischer Johann Christian Fischer (c. 1733 – 29 April 1800) was a German composer and oboist, one of the best-known oboe soloists in Europe during the 1770s. Employed as a music copyist and theatre director for the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Ludwi ...

Ludwig August Lebrun Ludwig August Lebrun (baptized 2 May 1752 – 16 December 1790) was a German oboist and composer. Life Lebrun was born in Mannheim. The well-known and celebrated oboe virtuoso (a contemporary described being "charmed by his divine oboe") pl ...

and his teacher, Besozzi. In 1781, he became an oboist and ''Kammermusikus'' at the

Hofkapelle A court chapel (German: Hofkapelle) is a chapel (building) and/or a chapel as a musical ensemble associated with a royal or noble court. Most of these are royal (court) chapels, but when the ruler of the court is not a king, the more generic "co ...

of Margrave Friedrich Heinrich von Schwedt in Berlin. During this time, he composed ''Urania's Weissagung'', which was performed on the birthday of King Friedrich Wilhelm II at the Margravial theater in Schwedt in 1786. In 1788, following the death of the Margrave and the subsequent dissolution of the Hofkapelle, Matthes took over a starch factory. As he had no experience running a business, he soon landed in debt and filed for bankruptcy. After this, he returned to music, but there are no surviving records of his life after this date.

Works

Matthes' only surviving works are two sonatas for oboe and continuo which were published by

Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

in 1770 as part of ''Musikalisches Vielerley''. The sonatas survive in numerous manuscript copies which attests to their popularity. They were also reworked for flute and continuo.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthes, Carl Ludwig 1751 births Musicians from Berlin 18th-century German people German male classical composers German Classical-period composers German classical oboists German male oboists 18th-century classical composers Year of death missing 18th-century German composers 18th-century German male musicians 19th-century German male musicians Prussian musicians