Rodolphe Kreutzer
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Rodolphe Kreutzer (November 16, 1766 - January 6, 1831) was a French violinist, teacher, composer and conductor.
Kreutzer was born in Versailles, and was initially taught by his father, who was a musician in the royal chapel, with later lessons from Anton Stamitz. He became one of the foremost violin virtuosi of his day, appearing as a soloist until 1810. After hearing him play the violin in Vienna, Ludwig van Beethoven dedicated his Violin Sonata No. 9 (the Kreutzer, 1803) to him. For a time he was leader of the Paris Opera, and from 1817 conducted there.
He was a violin professor at the Paris Conservatoire from its foundation in 1795 until 1826. He was co-author of the Conservatoire's violin method with Pierre Rode and Pierre Baillot. The three are considered the founding trinity of the French school of violin playing.
Kreutzer died in Geneva.
Kreutzer's compositions include nineteen violin concertos and around forty operas. He is best known today, however, for the 42 études ou caprices (1796), which are used as fundamental pedagogic studies.
