Du¨lon, Friedrich Ludwig

Du¨lon, Friedrich Ludwig, notable German flutist and composer; b. Oranienburg, near Berlin, Aug. 14, 1769; d. Würzburg, July 7, 1825. When he was nine, he heard the blind flutist Joseph Winter, whose example inspired Dülon to pursue his love of music. He studied flute with his father; his phenomenal memory enabled him not only to master solo pieces quickly, but also chamber works and even concertos. He also received training in keyboard playing and composition. In his tenth year he began to play in public, and on Oct. 9, 1781, he made his Berlin recital debut. In 1783–84 he made his first extensive tour of Germany. While visiting Potsdam in 1783, he furthered his training in composition with Karl Benda. In 1785–86 he toured abroad, visiting Amsterdam and Rotterdam. On March 26, 1786, he played before King George III in London. On April 5, 1786, he made his first public appearance there to much praise. In 1790 he was a participant in the coronation festivities for Leopold III in Frankfurt am Main as Holy Roman Emperor. He appeared in Vienna in 1791. In 1793 he went to St. Petersburg, where he entered the service of Grand Duke Alexander, remaining with that patron until 1795. Returning to Germany, he made only occasional appearances there from 1798. In addition to his success as a flute virtuoso, he also composed a number of effective works for his instrument. His output included a Flute Concerto, nine duets for Flute and Violin, three duets for Flute and Viola, three duets for two Flutes, Theme and Variations for Flute and Violin, and 11 caprices for Flute and three caprices for two Flutes. C. Wieland ed. his autobiography as Dillons des blinden Flotenspielers Leben und Meynungen von ihm selbst bearbeitet (2 vols., Zurich, 1807–08).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire