František Benda was a Bohemian violinist and composer from the Kingdom of Bohemia who pursued his career in the mid-18th century, becoming active in the court orchestras of Berlin and Potsdam and producing instrumental works situated between the late Baroque and early Classical periods. His music is associated with the galant and empfindsamer Stil, emphasising expressive violin melodies, ornamented technique and a move towards early Classical forms in concertos, sonatas and chamber pieces that shaped Central European instrumental practice.
