Karl Kohaut

In 1758 Kohaut entered the civil service acceeding to the position of secretary of the imperial chancery. He went with the Emperor and Chancellor on journeys abroad as the secretary. During his travels, and as a virtuoso lute player, Kohaut became familiar and appreciative of the works of Bach and Handel -- the former's cantatas and the latter's oratorios. He was lauded for his facile abilities on the lute. Even Fetis declared the he was the most skillful lute player of all time and that the music he composed for the lute was the best for that type of music. It was not until the twentieth century, however, that any special notice was given to Kohaut's string compositions.
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