Dittersdorf, Karl Ditters von

Dittersdorf, Karl Ditters von

(dĭt`ərs fən dĭt`ərsdôrf), 1739–99, Austrian composer and violinist. He was a successful opera and symphony composer in Vienna and an important precursor of Mozart in these forms. The comic opera Doktor und Apotheker (1786) is his best-remembered work. He also composed numerous symphonies, oratorios, cantatas, violin concertos, and piano works.