Johann Peter Salomon

By 1758 this young German violinist was serving in the court of Bonn as a musician. By 1761 and 1762 Salomon went on tour probably in an attempt to obtain a position in the government seat. In 1764 he was the musical director for Prince Heinrich of Prussia during which time he met C.P.E. Bach. Through this encounter he was introduced to the violin music of J.S. Bach. He continued his travels going to London by way of Paris. Salomon remained and settled in London making an appearance at Covent Gardens in 1781. In England he spent most of his time promoting concerts and conducting music. While in England he may have had a hand in providing Haydn the text for his "Creation" and Haydn provided a number of musical compositions for the virtuoso violinist. Musically little attention was paid to Salomon's compositions but his melodies demonstrate an unique talent for sonorous melodic lines though they are lacking any developmental substance. ~ Keith Johnson