Kospoth, Otto Carl Erdmann, Freiherr von
Kospoth, Otto Carl Erdmann, Freiherr von
Kospoth, Otto Carl Erdmann, Freiherr von, German composer; b. Muhltroff, Vogtland, Nov. 25, 1753; d. there (in a fire), June 23, 1817. He was trained at the Leignitz Ritterakademie. In 1776 he was made chamberlain and maître des plaisirs at the court of Friedrich II the Great in Potsdam, where he continued in the service of Friedrich Wilhelm II and where he brought out the successful Singspiels Der Freund deutscher Sitten (Sept. 25, 1778), Adrast und Isidore, oder Die Serenate (Oct. 16, 1779), Der Irrwisch, oder Endlich fand er sie (Oct. 2, 1780), Das Fest der Schäfer (Oct. 18, 1787), and Der kluge Jakob (Feb. 26, 1788). He also composed orch. works, chamber pieces, oratorios, and cantatas. In 1789 he retired to his estates in Muhltroff and pursued an eccentric life, dabbling in necromancy, spiritualism, and other byways. In the end, he lost his estates but was given a room in the castle. He lost his life in a fire there when he refused to leave, believing that he was impervious to the threat.
—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire