Jean-Georges Kastner was born March 9, 1810 in Strasbourg. He studied protestant theology at the
University of Strasbourg all the while continuing to study music. His first completed comic operas
would allow him to optain a scholarship from the City of Strasbourg to study music in Paris. On
June 17, 1841 his opera "La Maschera" was premiered at the Opera-Comique. He wrote a dozen
lyric works, including "le dernier Roi de Juda" ("The Last King Of Judea", an oratorio premiere
December 1st, 1844 at the Hall of the Paris Conservatory as well as symphonic poem. A close
friend of Adolphe Sax, he was among the first composers to write for the saxophone, completing
the Variations Faciles et Brillantes (which was almost certainly orchestrated by the composer,
although that orchestration has been lost), a sextet for saxophones, and a series of duos for
his saxophone method.
Jean-Georges Kastner est ne le 9 mars 1810 a Strasbourg. Il fait des etudes de theologie
protestante a l´universite de Strasbourg tout en travaillant la musique en autodidacte.
Ses premiers operas-comiques lui valent une bourse de la ville, qui lui permet d´aller etudier
a Paris. Le 17 juin 1841, "La Maschera", est cree a l´Opera-Comique. Il est l´auteur d´une dizaine
d´oeuvres lyriques, dont "le dernier Roi de Juda", un oratorio cree le 1er decembre 1844 dans la
salle du Conservatoire ainsi que des poemes symphoniqueses.
Un ami tres proche d´Adolphe Sax, il etait parmi les premiers compositeurs pour le saxophone,
completant ses Variations Faciles et Brillantes (qui etait preque certainement orchestree par le
compositeur lui-mê,me et dont l´orchestration a ete perdue), un sextuor pour saxophones et une
serie de duos pour sa methode de saxophone.