Friedrich Eck (1767–1838), eleven years younger than Mozart and three years older than Beethoven, caused a sensation in the music capitals of Europe towards the end of the 19th century. The press gushed about the quality of his sound and praised the ample, beautiful tone of the man who without a doubt would have enjoyed an even more successful career if he had not suddenly put down his bow and hung up his instrument on the wall for reasons that are still unknown. In 1800, he retired to France with his second (noble) wife.

This sudden departure from the concert stage may have also contributed significantly to the fact that the virtuoso concertos he wrote for himself disappeared into obscurity, although they were printed by renowned publishers during his lifetime. This was presumably due to the enormous technical playing difficulties in the solo part, since the enchantingly melodic, intuitive and beautifully sounding music of the unknown Eck is in no way inferior to the five Mozart concertos. Listen for yourself!