Louis Spohr

The partial estate of Louis Spohr (1784-1859) undoubtedly stands out among the musicians' estates in the holdings of the Landesbibliothek. It contains mainly printed music, life testimonies, autograph letters, and a collection of program notes documenting the performance of his music throughout Europe (call number: 2° Ms. Mus. 1500).

The rest of the collection also contains more than 1200 letters to and from Spohr, autographs, and other musical materials with his compositions.

Louis Spohr was appointed court kapellmeister in Kassel in 1822 and remained in this position for more than three decades. After taking office, Spohr quickly transformed Kassel's musical theater into one of the best in Central Europe. As a composer and violin teacher, he also made significant contributions throughout Europe. In addition, Spohr provided essential impulses for Kassel's civic music culture: he founded various choirs and intensively promoted the performance of chamber music in a (semi-)private setting.

The Spohr letters and autographs from the holdings of the Landesbibliothek are mainly listed via the estate portal KALLIOPE. A short index exists for additional items. The music of the Spohr estate can be searched for in the Répertoire international des sources musicales (RISM) and via a card catalog, which is located in the reading room of the Special Collections.

Letters from the partial estate, as well as the music, will be successively made accessible via the ORKA online archive (keyword: estates, Louis Spohr or music).

Further letters and archival material can be found in the archive of the Kassel Spohr Museum.