He returned to Vienna, when interest had been made for him to produce an opera at the court theatre, and he then composed "Libussa," which was brought out in 1822. He was subsequently made musical director of this establishment. He visited Paris, and produced an opera there in 1827; and he afterwards resumed his Vienna engagement, which he filled for several years. His most popular opera, and the work by which he is best known in England, "Das nachtlager zu Granada," was originally played in Vienna in 1834. Besides his numerous dramatic works, he wrote several masses, some pianoforte concertos, and other pieces of instrumental music, and a large number of songs and part songs.—G. A. M.
KREUTZER, Rodolphe, a musician, was born at Versailles, November 16, 1766, and died at Geneva, January 6, 1831. He was equally famous in his time as a violinist, as a writer for his instrument, and as a dramatic composer; but he is now chiefly known as the person to whom Beethoven dedicated his famous sonata, Op. 47, which he had written for, and first played in public with the English violinist, George Bridgetower. The reason for the transfer of the dedication is unknown, and Beethoven's naming Kreutzer in it as "suo amico" adds to the mystery; since, as will be seen, there can have been no intimacy and therefore little friendship between them. Kreutzer's father was a musician in the chapel of the king of France; after learning of him, the son became the pupil of Stamitz for the violin, and he made his first public performance on this instrument in 1778. He composed at a very early age, as is said, without any instruction, and played his first concerto at one of the Concerts Spirituel in 1779. "Jeanne d'Acre," his first opera, was produced in 1790, and it was followed in 1791 by "Paul et Virginie," and in this year by "Lodoïska," the most popular of all his dramatic works. This opera was successfully adapted to the English stage, and its overture at least must be still remembered by every one in this country who has any experience of music. Kreutzer started on an artistic tour in 1796; he played with great success at Milan and other cities of Italy; he proceeded to Germany, and it must have been then that he made the acquaintance of Beethoven, for there is no account of his leaving France at any other period before his last illness; and he passed through Holland previously to his return to Paris. The conservatoire was at that time newly instituted, and one of its first appointments was that of Kreutzer as a professor of the violin. When Rode went to Russia in 1801, Kreutzer succeeded him as solo violinist at the opera, which post he held until 1816, and so he could not have been in Vienna when Beethoven's sonata was published. He changed his position for that of second chef d'orchestre in 1816, and was promoted to that of first chef in 1817, which he resigned in 1824 to become musical director. He was successively appointed violinist to the first consul, to the emperor, and to Louis XVIII., and in 1824 he was created a chevalier of the legion of honour. He had the misfortune to break his arm in 1825, after which he could never play again; and we may suppose that what he suffered from this accident induced his retirement from the opera, which took place in the same year. Kreutzer produced thirteen grand and nineteen comic operas, all with success, and some of them obtained more than ordinary popularity. He was greatly mortified therefore when in 1827, having offered to the management of the Académie the opera of "Mathilde" which he had written since his retirement, its production was refused at the establishment in which he had been officially engaged for twenty-four years. This vexation is said to have caused the illness of which, after some years' suffering, notwithstanding his removal to Switzerland to seek relief, he died. He left twelve concertos for the violin and a concertante for two violins, besides two symphonies and many pieces of chamber music. But his most valuable works are his studies and caprices for his instrument, which are regarded as all but indispensable in the practice of a violinist.—G. A. M.
KREYSIG, Friedrich Ludwig, physician, born in Saxony in 1770. He filled successively the chairs of pathology and surgery, of anatomy and botany, at Wittenberg, and of pathology and therapeutics at Dresden. He died in 1839.—W. B—d.
KRILOFF or KRUILOV, Ivan Andreivitch, one of the most original and truly national poets that Russia has yet produced. Although the author of various comedies, operas, essays, and articles for newspapers, he never rose above mediocrity until he gave to the world the "Fables" which revealed at once his remarkable genius and made him the most popular writer his country ever possessed. While Russia was still under the influence of French writers, and striving to lay hold of the French language, manners, and civilization, Kriloff was learning in the hard school of poverty thoroughly to understand and appreciate his native language, and sympathize with his fellow-countrymen. He was born at Moscow on the 2nd of February, 1768 (o.s.), the son of a poor officer of the line who died when the boy was eleven years old, leaving him and his widowed mother penniless. She was then residing at Tver, educating her boy to the best of her ability; but necessity compelled her to procure employment for him in one of the numerous public offices with which Russia abounds. In 1785 he went to St. Petersburg in the capacity of a government clerk. One precious legacy he had received from his father in the shape of a case of books, which he read to such purpose, that at the age of fourteen he wrote an opera entitled "The Coffee-house Girl," for the manuscript of which a bookseller gave him the works of Boileau, Racine, and Molière. Under the influence of his French reading and a friendship with the leading actor of the day, he wrote two tragedies, "Cleopatra" and "Philomela," which met with merited failure. A similar fate befel his comedies and operas. The rage for writing was, however, so strong upon him, that he gave up his situation for a time in order to devote himself exclusively to literature, and in conjunction with a retired captain set up a periodical under the name of the Spirit Post, in which, under cover of ghostly personages, he ridiculed the follies of the day, more especially the Gallomania which he thought so injurious to Russian national life. His various efforts after literary success brought him into public notice, and introduced him to the highest society of Russia, which is far from being exclusive. In this new position Kriloff acquired a taste for play and other fashionable amusements, which obliged him ere long to seek official employment again for the sake of his health and fortune. He was placed in 1802 in the chancery of Prince Serge Galitzin, governor of Riga, where he remained for three years, after which he accompanied the prince to his country-seat at Zoubrilovka in Saratov, where he also remained for three years, renewing his intimacy with the unsophisticated Russian peasant and his rustic life. While under the influence of his rural experience, he was requested on his passage through Moscow to translate two fables of Lafontaine. He did so; they were printed in a magazine, had immense success, and excited general admiration. He had at length found his true vein, and although he still for a time dallied with the drama and faced three more failures on the stage, his time and thoughts soon came to be devoted entirely to the composition of fables, apologues, and short popular tales. The simple originality with which he clothes some of the deepest lessons of practical wisdom in the common but racy language of the people, is in every way admirable. The local colouring and strictly Russian tone and character of these fables, is another great merit. A concealed satire and sharpness of allusion to contemporary events and persons, gives that piquancy which is the best characteristic of the fable. It was in the year 1808, his fortieth year, that Kriloff discovered he was a fabulist, and sent some of his first productions of that kind to the Dramatic Courier. His reputation rose rapidly. In 1811 an appointment in the imperial public library was bestowed on him, to which the emperor added a pension of three thousand roubles. Free from want and care, he thus passed an easy, indolent, untidy existence, beloved for his kindness and honoured for his genius. He died in December, 1854. In 1825 Count Gregory Orloff caused a splendid edition of the "Fables" to be printed at Paris, with versions in French and Italian. The first edition of Kriloff's collected works was published at St. Petersburg in 1847, in 3 vols. A few of the fables in English will be found in Kohl's Russia.—R. H.
* KROEYER, Henrik Nicolaus, naturalist, born at Copenhagen, 1799. After studying medicine, and travelling through Germany, Switzerland, and Greece, he was called in 1831 to Copenhagen to teach natural history. He has been engaged in numerous scientific excursions, took part as naturalist in the expedition under Gaimard to the North Cape and Spitzbergen in 1838-39; and was charged with a mission to South America in 1840-41. In 1842 he was named inspector of the museum of natural history at Copenhagen. He has published several valuable works, amongst which we may mention the "Fishes of Denmark."—W. B—d.
