According to Jane Magrath, author of the excellent book, ‘The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature’ states, the Kuhlau, whilst born in Germany spent most of his life living and composing in Denmark where he served as a royal court composer. He is widely known for his compositions for flute, as well as for the piano sonatinas.
Royal Danish Theatre Copenhagen. By Axel Kuhlmann - Kopenhagen, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17987026
According to Findagrave, he moved to Denmark in 1810 and he made his name at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen through his ballad opera “Roverborgen” and his music to the play Elves Hill became his most famous work, in particular the overture and the closing hymn.
By Peter Copmann - bruun-rasmussen.dk, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76419837
Wikipedia states that Kuhlau was the central figure of the Danish Golden Age and is immortalised in Danish cultural history through his music for Elves Hill, the first true work on Danish National Romanticism and a concealed tribute to absolute monarchy. During Kuhlau’s lifetime he was known primarily as a concert pianist and a composer of Danish opera, but he was also responsible for introducing many of Beethoven’s works, a composer he greatly admired, to the audiences in Copenhagen.
Kuhlau was born on the 11 September 1786 in Uelzen, Landkreis, Lower Saxony, Germany where his father was working. He died on the 12th March 1832 at the age of 46 years old in Copenhagen and is buried in the Assistens Cemetery.
When Kuhlau was younger, his family moved because of his father’s job. Both his father and paternal grandfather were military musicians and his uncle, Johann Daniel Kuhlau was an organist. His uncle moved to Denmark in 1784 and he worked as a organist at a church in Aalberg.
By Emil Bærentzen - http://kb-images.kb.dk/DAMJP2/online_master_arkiv_4/non-archival/samlingsbilleder/4881/506374/full/full/0/native.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75521662
Kuhlau lost his right eye to an accident when he was a young boy. One account given states that he was sent into the town to pick up a bottle of something and on his return, he fell and some of the glass splinters penetrated his right eye which had to be removed. This is visible in the portraits of Kuhlau. According to the story, his parents put a small piano next to his bed to aid his recovery.
There is an extensive site online, www.josebamus.dk/english which covers a lot of information concerning Kuhlau. The following information was found on this website.
· In 1805 he became a student of C. F. G. Schwenke in Hamburg. Schwenke had been a student of C. P. E. Bach.
· At this time Kuhlau started composing and his publisher was Breitkof and Hartel in Leipzig.
· At this time, he made most of his income from concert performing.
· According to this website, because of Napoleon’s invasion he did not want to get drafted into the army, so he left for Denmark.
· King Frederik the 6th appointed him Royal Chamber Musician although this position was not paid. He earned his living by giving concerts and piano lessons.
· He didn’t enjoy giving piano lessons although some of his pupils remembered him fondly.
· His nephew, Georg Frederich, son of his brother Gottfried who had moved to India came to live with him in Copenhagen.
· Kuhlau visited Sweden in 1815 and he visited on other occasions too.
· He visited Hamburg in 1816.
· In later years two Hamburg music publishers published his work.
· Kuhlau was awarded a salary from 1816 as the Royal Chamber Musician.
· His brother Andreas owned a major grocery store and tobacco factory.
· In 1818 Kuhlau moved to outside of Copenhagen’s walls and his parents lived with him at this time.
· In 1829 he visited Germany.
References
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Kuhlau
www.allmusic.com/artist/friedrich-kuhlau-mn0002285780
www.findagrave