Ernst Dietrich Adolph Eichner

Ernst Eichner was born on february 15th 1740 to Johann Andreas Eichner, a court musician to the court of Waldeck. His father provided him with his primary musical education. He became widely known as a virtuoso bassoonist throughout Europe as a result. In 1762 he entered into the service of Duke Christian IV of Zweibrücken as a violinist. In 1768, he became the concertmaster of the Zweibrücken court orchestra, where he remained until 1772. He was highly respected by his contemporaries and achieved international recognition as an accomplished composer, bassoonist, and concertmaster during his lifetime. Eichner, however, died young in 1777 in Potsdam.
His 31 symphonies and 20 concertos comprise the main body of his works, but he also composed chamber music. The poet, musician and journalist Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart praised Eichner’s works in 1784 for their gracious charm and “melting sweetness”. In his Diaries of a musical journey Charles Burney spoke about Eichners qualities as bassoonist and composer.