Biography

Carl von Quanten. (1734-1789)

A probable candidate for the Quanten whom Boswell met in Brunswick is Carl Jakob von Quanten, who in 1773 published "Tanker I Krigs-Wetenskapen", one of the first Swedish books on military science. At that time, Quanten had been in the service of the Royal Guards in Stockholm, and the french Royal Polonais.

In 1769 the publisher Johann Julius Hummel published six flute sonatas composed by von Quanten, then a colonel, which fits nicely with Boswell's description of Quanten.

Life with James Boswell:

Boswell met "Quanten, a Swede, an officer in the service of Brunswick" who "was kind enough to entertain [him] with some music this morning" on August 17, 1764 in Brunswick. The Swede also told Boswell about several of Boswell's kin, whose ancestors had emigrated to Sweden in the 17th century. Boswell described Quanten as follows:

"He plays delightfully on the German flute, and composes very well in a singular taste, with quick transitions from high to low notes, very hard to play. He paints too. He is a lively, genteel, brisk young man. He brought to my mind many ideas of healthy, accomplished foreign officers."

This article was last updated at December 14 2007 18:43:57 CET

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