Johann Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, born Johann Carl Ditters on November 2, 1739 in Vienna, was an Austrian composer and violinist. He began his musical education at a young age, studying the violin under J. Ziegler and later with Francesco Trani. In 1751, he joined Prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen's court orchestra, where he studied composition with Giuseppe Bonno. By 1762, Ditters von Dittersdorf was conducting at the Imperial Theatre orchestra in Vienna. Notable works include the Singspiel Der Apotheker und der Doktor (1786) and a series of programmatic symphonies based on Ovid's Metamorphoses. In 1794, he left the court of the Prince-Bishop of Breslau Philipp Gotthard von Schaffgotsch after a conflict and moved to Červená Lhota in southern Bohemia. He died at Nový Dvůr on October 24, 1799. His memoirs, Lebenbeschreibung, was published posthumously in Leipzig in 1801.
