Lichnowsky, Prince Karl (actually, Carl Alois Johann Nepomuk Vinzenz Leon-hard) von

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Lichnowsky, Prince Karl (actually, Carl Alois Johann Nepomuk Vinzenz Leon-hard) von

Lichnowsky, Prince Karl (actually, Carl Alois Johann Nepomuk Vinzenz Leon-hard) von, Austrian patron of music of Polish descent; b. Vienna, June 21, 1761; d. there, April 15, 1814. He received the title of nobility from the Russian government in 1773, but spent most of his life in Vienna. He was a pupil of Mozart, who accompanied him on a visit to Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin in 1789. Beethoven’s opp. 1, 13, 26, and 36 are dedicated to Lichnowsky. In his home, Lichnowsky presented regular chamber music concerts with a quartet composed of Schuppanzigh, Sina, Weiss, and Kraft. His brother, Count Moritz (Josef Cajetan Gallus) von Lichnowsky (b.Vienna, Oct. 17, 1771; d. there, March 17, 1837), was a pianist and composer; he was also a patron and friend of Beethoven and Chopin. Beethoven dedicated his opp. 35, 51, and 90 to the Count and his wife.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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