Frantisek Benda

Bohemian composer Frantisek Benda (1709-1786).
His style of composition exemplifies the transition from Baroque to Classical. His life is closely linked to the King of Prussia, to the musical interests of that "enlightened despot" and patron of the arts, Fredrick the Great. The young man from Bohemia was in 1733 taken into the orchestra maintained by the future monarch. Before his death Benda estimated that he had accompanied his sovereign in over 10.000 concerts.