Johann Gottfried Eckard

1735 - 1809

A German pianist of some renown in his time, Eckard hailed from Augsburg. He spent much of his adult life (over 50 years) in Paris where he performed regularly.

Introduced to luminaries of his day, Mozart was a fan as were a number of contemporary authors.

He was not a prolific composer but a handful of works have survived, mainly piano sonatas. Mozart is said to have based one of his own sonatas on a piece by Eckard.

Here is his first piano sonata. It gushes and then stutters throughout giving a sense of urgency that does not allow the listener time to rest!