Karl Theodor, Elector Palatine and Elector of Bavaria (b. Dorgenbos Castle, near Brussels, 11 Dec. 1724; d. Munich, 16 Feb. 1799). Karl Theodor became Elector Palatine in 1742 and Elector of Bavaria on 30 December 1777, succeeding his cousin Maximilian III Joseph. A flautist and cellist, Karl Theodor lavished attention on the Mannheim court music; under his leadership it was one of the outstanding centres for music in the eighteenth century. The court was particularly renowned for its orchestra, which Leopold Mozart described as ‘unquestionably the best in Germany’ (letter of 19 July 1763). The Mozart children first played for Karl Theodor at his country home, Schwetzingen, in July 1763, and Mozart visited Mannheim twice in 1777 and 1778, first on the way to Paris and then on the way home to Salzburg. Although he hoped to gain an appointment at court, he was not successful; he was also unsuccessful in Munich in December 1778 after the Mannheim court's move there. Nevertheless, Karl Theodor must have been well disposed towards Mozart, whose Idomeneo was first given at Munich in January 1781; Mozart wrote to his father that after hearing a rehearsal of Act 2, Karl Theodor said to him, ‘Who would have believed that such great things could lodge in so small a head!’ (27 Dec. 1780).