an accident which put an end to his violin playing. Nevertheless he
conducted his opera "Jessonda" at the fiftieth anniversary of the Prague
Conservatorium in the following year, with all his old-time energy. In
1859 he died at Cassel.

Through all his long career Spohr had lived up to the ideal he had
conceived in his youth. He was a man of strong individuality, and
invariably maintained the dignity of his art with unflinching
independence. Even the mistakes that he made, as for instance his
criticism of Beethoven, bore the strongest testimony to his manly
straightforwardness and sincerity in word and deed. He was a most
prolific composer, leaving over two hundred works in all. His violin
concertos stand foremost among his works, and are distinguished as much
by noble and elevated ideas as by masterly thematic treatment, yet there
is a certain monotony of treatment in all, and his style and manner are
entirely his own.

As an executant Spohr stands among the greatest of all time. In slow
movements he played with a breadth and beauty of tone, and a delicacy
and refinement of expression almost unequalled. His hands were of
exceptional size and strength, and enabled him to execute the most
difficult double stops and stretches with the greatest facility. Even in
quick passages he preserved a broad, full tone, and his staccato was
brilliant and effective. He disliked the use of the "springing bow,"
which came with the modern style of playing.

Spohr had a great many pupils, of whom the best known were Ries, Ferd.
David, Blagrove, Bargheer, Kömpel, and Henry Holmes. He was also
considered one of the best conductors of his time, and introduced into
England the custom of conducting with a baton.