Composer. He played a significant role in the development of orchestral music in Germany during the 18th Century. Molter was born in Tiefenort, in the Thuringian-Saxon region, and was initially trained as a violinist by his father, the town Kantor. He decided to become a composer after hearing Telemann's music in nearby Eisenach. In 1717 he joined the court orchestra in Karlsruhe and his most productive years were spent there, serving as music director for the Margraves from 1722 to 1733 and from 1747 until his death. During that time he also made two extended visits to Italy. He was married twice and had eight children. Molter left a large body of work, including 172 symphonies, 107 concertos for various instruments, 14 overtures and some 100 chamber pieces. While Telemann remained his idol throughout his life, his style was primarily Italian Baroque with French and German influences added to the mix. Gifted with a keen sense of instrumental color, he was one of the first to write music for the newly invented clarinet and helped introduce the harp into the orchestra. Molter's musical thinking was agile but seldom deep, and he lacked the developmental skills to tackle the symphony and sonata in their Classical forms; this doomed his music to oblivion almost immediately after his death. It was not until the late 20th Century that his concertos, particularly those for winds, began to find new favor with audiences. A fair number of his compositions are now available on CD.
Composer. He played a significant role in the development of orchestral music in Germany during the 18th Century. Molter was born in Tiefenort, in the Thuringian-Saxon region, and was initially trained as a violinist by his father, the town Kantor. He decided to become a composer after hearing Telemann's music in nearby Eisenach. In 1717 he joined the court orchestra in Karlsruhe and his most productive years were spent there, serving as music director for the Margraves from 1722 to 1733 and from 1747 until his death. During that time he also made two extended visits to Italy. He was married twice and had eight children. Molter left a large body of work, including 172 symphonies, 107 concertos for various instruments, 14 overtures and some 100 chamber pieces. While Telemann remained his idol throughout his life, his style was primarily Italian Baroque with French and German influences added to the mix. Gifted with a keen sense of instrumental color, he was one of the first to write music for the newly invented clarinet and helped introduce the harp into the orchestra. Molter's musical thinking was agile but seldom deep, and he lacked the developmental skills to tackle the symphony and sonata in their Classical forms; this doomed his music to oblivion almost immediately after his death. It was not until the late 20th Century that his concertos, particularly those for winds, began to find new favor with audiences. A fair number of his compositions are now available on CD.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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