Franz or François Cramer (1772 – 1 August 1848) was an English violinist and conductor who was Master of the King's/Queen's Musick

Master of the Queen's Music

Master of the Queen's Music is a post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England.The post is roughly comparable to that of Poet Laureate...

 from 1837 until his death.

He was born in either Mannheim

Mannheim

Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....

 or London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, the son of Wilhelm Cramer

Wilhelm Cramer

Wilhelm Cramer was a famous London violinist and musical conductor of German origin. He was one of a numerous family who were identified with the progress of music during the 18th and 19th centuries...

 and the brother of Johann Baptist Cramer

Johann Baptist Cramer

Johann Baptist Cramer was an English musician of German origin. He was the son of Wilhelm Cramer, a famous London violinist and musical conductor, one of a numerous family who were identified with the progress of music during the 18th and 19th centuries.-Biography:Johann Baptist Cramer was born in...

. He was no doubt his father's pupil. Next to nothing seems to be known about his activities or compositions, yet he was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1834, by King William IV

William IV of the United Kingdom

William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...

, succeeding Christopher (or Christian) Kramer, no relation. The king died in 1837, and he continued as Master of the Queen's Musick to Queen Victoria

Victoria of the United Kingdom

Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

.

He died in 1848 aged about 76, and was succeeded by George Frederick Anderson

George Frederick Anderson

George Frederick Anderson was a British violinist and Master of the Queen's Music.Anderson was born in London in 1793. He was engaged as violinist in a variety of orchestras...

.

The only composition of Cramer's that has survived is a Capriccio (Album Leaf) for violin, which is in manuscript in the British Museum

British Museum

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

.

Sources

• Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed. 1954
• Answers.com