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Nicholas-Charles Bochsa, the most innovative harpist of the 19th century, is known more for his life-story than his music; not only composer and impresario, but forger and bigamist, he fled France for London where he became Professor of Harp at the Royal Academy of Music. From there he eloped with Henry Bishop's wife, and spent the remainder of his life in musical travels; Russia, Italy, New York, Mexico (enlivened by encounters with bandits), California and finally Australia, where he died in 1856.
His writing for the harp was revolutionary and as colourful as his career; this set of virtuoso variations on a theme from Figaro survives both in print and autograph, showing illuminating differences. An appendix contains two short Mozart arrangements from his famous harp Méthode, fully fingered by Bochsa himself.
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