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: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, the son of a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

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 ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), 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 Communauté métrop ...

, 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 at the ...

Karl Czerny Carl Czerny (; 21 February 1791 – 15 July 1857) was an Austrian composer, teacher, and pianist of Czech origin whose music spanned the late Classical and early Romantic eras. His vast musical production amounted to over a thousand works and ...

and

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

; 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 is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

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

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

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 Marie-Hyppolyte-Antoine Dessane (9 December 1826 – 8 June 1873), born in France and resident mostly in Quebec City in Canada from 1849, was an organist, conductor and composer. Life Dessane was born in Forcalquier, son of Louis Dessane, a music t ...

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 organists