Friedrich von FlotowArticle Free Pass Friedrich von Flotow,
(born April 26, 1812, Teutendorf, near Lübeck, French Empire
[now in Germany]—died Jan. 24, 1883, Darmstadt, Ger.), German
composer, active mainly in France, who was best known for his
opera Martha (1847). Originally intended for a diplomatic
career, from age 16 Flotow studied music in Paris with Anton
Reicha. Forced to leave Paris during the July Revolution of
1830, he went home but returned to Paris in 1831. In 1837 he
produced a first, brief version of the opera Alessandro
Stradella, which later, in its complete form, enjoyed great
success. In 1839 he collaborated with Albert Grisar and Auguste
Pilati on Le Naufrage de la Méduse (“The Wreck of the Medusa”).
Between 1840 and 1878 he produced 19 light operas. Martha,
composed to a German libretto and first performed in Vienna, was
subsequently heard in translation in many European cities. One
of its numbers, in the English version, is “ The Last Rose of
Summer.” Appealing in its melodic charm, Marth