FLOTOW.

Friedrich von Flotow was born April 27, 1812, in the duchy of
Mecklenberg-Schwerin, and in 1827 went to Paris, where he studied
music under Reicha. His first work was "Stradella," a mere sketch in
its original form, which was brought out at the Palais Royal in 1837;
but his first public success was made in 1839, with his opera, "Le
Naufrage de la Méduse," which had a run, and was afterwards produced
in Germany under the title of "Die Matrosen." "L'Esclave de Camoens"
appeared in Paris in 1843; "Stradella," rewritten as an opera, in
Hamburg (1844); "L'Âme en peine," in Paris (1846); "Martha," in Vienna
(1847). The works of his later period, which never equalled his
earlier ones in popularity, were "Die Grossfürstin" (1850); "Indra"
(1853); "Rubezahl" (1854); "Hilda" (1855); "Der Müller von Meran"
(1856); "La Veuve Grapin" (1859); "L'Ombre" (1869); "Naïda" (1873);
"Il Flor d'Harlem" (1876); and "Enchanteresse" (1878). Of these later
works, "L'Ombre" was the most successful, and was received with favor
in France, Italy, Spain, and England, in which latter country it was
performed under the title of "The Phantom." In 1856 he received the
appointment of Intendant of the theatre of the Grand Duke of
Mecklenberg, and he entered upon his duties with high hopes of making
the theatre exercise the same influence upon music in Germany as the
Weimar stage; but court intrigues and rivalries of artists so
disgusted him that he resigned in 1863 and went to Paris, and a few
years later to Vienna, where he took up his abode. Outside of a few of
his operas his works are little known, though he composed a
"Fackeltanz," some incidental music to the "Winter's Tale" of