Blasius, Frederic-Matthieu, * 24. Apr. 1758 in Lauterburg (Elsass), † 1829 in Versailles.
Blasius was the son of the master tailor Michel Blasius. His father was a good musician himself and assigned the first musical lessons to him in his childhood. The young Blasius also may have got to know the bases of the harmony.
Blasius was primarily violinists and a clarinettist, however, also mastered the bassoon and the flute. Blasius went at 1784 to Paris. Blasius appeared as violinist in the Concert Spirituel already in spring 1784. He was engaged as composer and arranger for music for wind instruments soon, too. He received an employment with the orchestra the Comédie Italienne in the group of the first violins 1788. He became a conductor there on April 19th, 1790. He belonged 1793-1795 to the National Guard. At the foundation of the Conservatoire 1795 one he got a professorship in violin (to C. Pierre), according to lexicographical information such for wind instruments. Since 1799 Blasius was a conductor of the music corps of the guard of the consuls at the same time. He lost his professorship at the Conservatoire 1802 and soon afterwards (1804) also his conductor job at the guard of the consuls. His conductor office at the Comédie Italienne, called Opéra Comique now, performed Matthäus Blasius for a long time. After his retirement in March 1816 he retired in the private life to Versailles and 1829 died there.
The symphony concertante on hand (or as mentioned in the print "Simphonie") was published 1795/Imprimerie du Conservatoire, later in the publishing house Imbault in Paris. On the print he is only called Frederic Blasius – Membre du Conservatoire de Musique.
From Blasius another 3 concerts are known for violin, 4 for clarinet and one for bassoon. He also composed several operas next to chamber music and works for music for wind instruments and wrote a clarinet school.
