Ferdinand Fränzl

The violinist and composer Louis Spohr, however, who heard him at least twice already in 1810 judged Fränzl’s playing as old-fashioned, reminiscent of a bygone era; he also criticised Fränzel’s impure tone.

Here he received lessons in composition and counterpoint form Franz Xaver Richter and Ignaz Pleyel.

Richter, probably already a teacher of Ferdinand Fränzl’s father, was a conservative contrapuntist of the old school widely respected for his sacred music.

The German violinist and composer Louis Spohr, certainly a competent judge in music matters, met Ferdinand Fränzl during a concert tour to Russia.

Despite some feeble attempts at polite praise, Spohr’s impression of Fränzl was predominantly negative: This is one of the best accounts we have of the violin playing of a representative (albeit a later one) of the Mannheim school.