Bernhard Molique

Bernhard Molique (Wilhelm Bernhard Molique; 7 October 1802 – 10 May 1869) was a German violinist and composer.

He was born in Nuremberg. His father was a musician and the boy studied various instruments, but finally devoted himself to the violin. In 1815, he received some lessons from Louis Spohr, and then studied the violin for two years at the University of Munich under Pietro Rovelli.

In 1820, Molique succeeded Rovelli as court violinist in Munich and, after several successful tours, in 1826 he became music director at Stuttgart. His pupils there included the violinist Henry Blagrove and the violinist, conductor and composer Alfred Mellon. Molique was well received on a visit to London when he played his own Piano Concerto No 5 on 14 May 1840. He visited England several other times before settling in London from 1849 until 1866. He died in Cannstatt in 1869.

As a composer, Molique was unapologetically self-taught. His music displays the influence of Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn and, especially, Louis Spohr. The then radical developments represented by Berlioz (who publicly praised his violin playing) and the New German School (German: Neudeutschen Schule) left Molique untouched, however.

As well as the five piano concertos Molique wrote six violin concertos (the fifth especially admired by Joachim) and a popular Cello Concerto that was successfully played in Baden-Baden, by Léon Jacquard, conducted by Hector Berlioz, on August 27, 1860. He also wrote a Symphony (1837–42), eight string quartets, the Piano Trio op.27 (championed by Hans von Bülow) and the Concertina Concerto as well an oratorio Abraham (performed in England, 1861), two masses and many songs.