k of Hildburghausen (1702-1787), who is
also remembered as a soldier for his disastrous leading of the forces of
the Empire at Rossbach. The prince gave the boy, now eleven years old, a
place in his private orchestra--the first of the kind established in
Vienna,--and also saw to it that he received an excellent general
education. The Seven Years' War proved disastrous to both music and
morals; and young Ditters, who had fallen into evil ways, fled from
Hildburghausen, whither he had gone with the prince, to avoid the
payment of his gambling debts. His patron generously forgave and
recalled him, but soon afterwards gave up his orchestra at Vienna.
Ditters now obtained a place in the Vienna opera; but he was not
satisfied, and in 1761 eagerly accepted an invitation to accompany
Gluck, whose acquaintance, as well as that of Haydn, he had made while
in the service of the prince, on a professional journey to Italy. His
success as a violinist on this occasion was equal to that of Gluck as
composer; and on his return to Vienna he was recognized as the superior
of Antonio Lolli, who as virtuoso had hitherto held the palm. In 1764 he
was again associated with Gluck in the musical part of the ceremonies at
Frankfort, attending the coronation of the archduke Joseph as King of
the Romans. His next appointment was that of conductor of the orchestra
of the bishop of Grosswardein, a Hungarian magnate, at Pressburg. He set
up a private stage in the episcopal palace, and wrote for it his first
"opera buffa," _Amore in musica_. His first oratorio, _Isacco figura del
Redentore_, was also written during this time; but the scandal of
performances of light opera by the bishop's company, even on fast days
and during Advent, outweighed this pious effort; the empress Maria
Theresa sharply called the worldly prelate to order; and he, in a huff,
dismissed his orchestra (1769). After a short interlude, Ditters was
again in the service of an ecclesiastical patron, count von Schafgotsch,
prince bishop of Breslau, at his estate of Johannesberg in Silesia. Here
he displayed so much skill as a sportsman, that the bishop procured for
him the office of forester (_Forstmeister_) of the principality of
Neisse. He had already, by the same influence, been made knight of the
Golden Spur (1770). At Johannesberg Ditters also produced a comic opera,
_Il Viaggiatore americano_, and an oratorio, _Davide_. The title role of
the latter was taken by a pretty Italian si