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Spohr

Louis Spohr (1784–1859) was a German violinist, composer, and conductor who spent thirty-seven years as court Kapellmeister at Kassel and composed prolifically across virtually every genre, his fifteen violin concertos placing him at the centre of the instrument's development in the early nineteenth century. He invented the chin rest for the violin, a device now used by virtually every player in the world. He was also an early adopter of the conductor's baton at a time when most ensembles were led from the keyboard, and he championed Wagner's early operas before Wagner had established his reputation.

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