Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766–1831)

Rodolphe Kreutzer was born in Versailles in 1766 and became one of the most celebrated violinists of his day. A professor at the Paris Conservatoire from its foundation, he co-wrote the school’s official violin method with Pierre Baillot and Pierre Rode. He died in Geneva in 1831.

He wrote many operas for the Paris stage, including Lodoïska (1791), a great success during the Revolution, as well as violin concertos. His 42 Études ou Caprices are still the foundation of violin training.

In 1805 Beethoven dedicated to him his Violin Sonata Op. 47, which has borne his name ever since, although Kreutzer apparently never played it. On this site, tunes from his operas appear in keyboard arrangements, of the kind that were widely published at the time.