Bochsa, (Robert-) Nicolas-Charles

celebrated French harpist; b. Montmédy, Meuse, Aug. 9, 1789; d. Sydney, Australia, Jan. 6, 1856. He first studied music with his father, and played in public at the age of 7. He wrote a sym. when he was 9, and an opera, Trajan, at 15. He then studied with Franz Beck in Bordeaux, and later at the Paris Cons, with Méhul and Catel (1806). His harp teachers were Nadermann and Marin. Of an inventive nature, Bochsa developed novel technical devices for harp playing, transforming the harp into a virtuoso instrument. He was the court harpist to Napoleon, and to Louis XVIII. He wrote 7 operas for the Opéra-Comique (1813–16), several ballets, an …