Louis Ferdinand Prince of Prussia (1772-1806), portrait by Jean-Laurent Mosnier, 1799

Friedrich Ludwig Christian, commonly known as Louis Ferdinand (November 18, 1772 – October 10, 1806), was a prince of Prussia and a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Year 1772 ( MDCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Prince, from the Latin root Princeps, is a general term for a Monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family and is a The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions

Louis Ferdinand was born in Schloß Friedrichsfelde near Berlin. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. He was a son of Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia and a nephew of King Frederick the Great. Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia (August Ferdinand von Preußen 23 May 1730, Berlin &ndash 2 May 1813, Berlin was a Frederick II (Friedrich II January 24 1712 August 17 1786) was a King of Prussia (1740&ndash1786 from the He morganatically married the Catholic countess Marie Adelaide de la Grange. A morganatic marriage is a type of Marriage which can be contracted in certain countries usually between people of unequal Social rank, which prevents the passage He had a son from the marriage, Theodor Friedrich Klitsche de la Grange. Ludwig von Wildenbruch was an illegitimate son of Louis Ferdinand. Anton Albert Heinrich Ludwig (or Louis von Wildenbruch (1803 &ndash 1874 was the Prussian Consul general in Beirut in the mid-19th century

Military career

Louis Ferdinand was one of the most gifted Prussian soldiers of the post-Frederican era. He participated in the French Revolutionary Wars and was wounded during the Siege of Mainz. The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts from 1792 until 1802 fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states In the Siege of Mainz (Belagerung von Mainz from 14 April &ndash 23 July 1793, a coalition of Prussia, Austria, and other In 1806, Louis Ferdinand was one of the principal advocates of resuming the war against Napoleon and the First French Empire, triggering the War of the Fourth Coalition. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. The Empire of the French (1804-1814 also known as the Empire of France, Greater French Empire, First French Empire, French Empire, or The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806&ndash1807

However, his military potential was not fulfilled because of his early death during the opening engagement of the war, the Battle of Saalfeld. The Battle of Saalfeld ( October 10 1806) saw Marshal Lannes and a division of his V Corps defeat 8300 Prussians under Prince Louis Ferdinand Louis Ferdinand was in command of 8,300 men when he advanced against Jean Lannes' V Corps as they attempted to break out from the passes of Thuringian Forest. Jean Lannes, 1st Duc de Montebello, 1st Sovereign Prince de Sievers ( April 11, 1769 &ndash May 31, The Thuringian Forest ( Thüringer Wald in German) running northwest to southeast forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties He was killed by Guindet, quartermaster of the French 10th Hussars after Louis Ferdinand refused to surrender. Hussar (original Hungarian spelling huszár, plural huszárok, Husaria refers to a number of types of Light cavalry created in Hungary As a prominent leader of the Prussian court, his death was grievously felt.

Musical activities

Apart from being a soldier, Louis Ferdinand was also a gifted musician and composer. Johann Friedrich Reichardt, Kapellmeister to Frederick II and Frederick William II, considered him a great pianist. Early on Louis Ferdinand also started to compose music but he was not recognized for his compositional activities until later. His early pieces were performed by the orchestra of Prince Henry, the brother of Fredrick the Great. Later on, Prince Louis Ferdinand joined several salons in Berlin where he frequently improvised on the piano. Among his circle of acquaintances were figures such as Schlegel, Wackenroder, and Tieck, all of them were highly interested in music as well. Ludwig van Beethoven dedicated his Third Piano Concerto to him, a sign of high esteem for his piano playing. Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. The Piano Concerto No 3 in C minor, Op  37 was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1800 and first performed on April 5 1803 with the composer as soloist ^[1]

Musical works

The following is a complete list of compositions by Prince Louis Ferdinand with opus numbers:^[2]

• Opus 1: Piano Quintet in C minor (published 1803)
• Opus 2: Piano Trio No. Opus, from the Latin word opus meaning "work" is usually used in the sense of "a Work of art " A piano quintet is a chamber Musical ensemble made up of one Piano and four other instruments or a piece written for such a group A piano trio is a group of Piano and two other instruments usually a Violin and a Cello, or a piece of Music written for such a group 1 in A-flat major (published 1806)
• Opus 3: Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major (published 1806)
• Opus 4: Andante with Variations in B-flat major for piano quartet (published 1806)
• Opus 5: Piano Quartet No. This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores A piano quartet is a Musical ensemble consisting of a Piano and three other instruments or a piece written for such a group 1 in E-flat major (published 1806)
• Opus 6: Piano Quartet No. 2 in F minor (published 1806)
• Opus 7: Fugue in G minor for piano (published 1807)
• Opus 8: Nocturne in F major for flute, 2 horns and piano quartet (published 1808)
• Opus 9: Rondo No. In Music, a fugue (ˈfjuːg is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred A nocturne (from the French for "nocturnal" is usually a Musical composition that is inspired by or evocative of the Night. Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in Music in a number of ways most often in reference to a Musical form 1 in B major for piano and orchestra (published 1808)
• Opus 10: Piano Trio No. 3 in E major (published 1806)
• Opus 11: Larghetto with Variations in G major for piano quintet (published 1806)
• Opus 12: Octet in F minor for clarinet, 2 horns, 2 violins, 2 cellos and piano (published 1808)
• Opus 13: Rondo No. This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores In Music, an octet is a Musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices or a musical composition written for such an ensemble Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in Music in a number of ways most often in reference to a Musical form 2 in E major for piano and orchestra (published 1823)

References

1. ^ See Barbara H. McMurtry: Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia. Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 2 August, 2007).
2. ^ H. Kretzschmar: Louis Ferdinand, Prinz von Preussen: Musikalische Werke. Leipzig, 1910.

• B. Nadolny: Louis Ferdinand. Düsseldorf, 1967
• E. Klessmann: Louis Ferdinand von Preussen, 1772–1806. Munich, 1972
• B. H. McMurtry: The Music of Prince Louis Ferdinand. diss. , University of Illinois, 1972
• N. Miller: "Ein höchst poetische Natur. . . ": Prinz Louis Ferdinand und der Klassizismus in der preussischen Musik, Mendelssohn-Studien, v (1982): 79–98

External links

• Prince Louis of Prussia Ferdinand was listed in the International Music Score Library Project
• Genealogy of the Royal Family of Prussia
• http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/riley/787/Napoleon/Prussia/Commanders/Princelouis.html