Frederick II ("the Great") plays the Flute at an Evening Concert in the Year 1750 (c. 1786) Frederick II (“the Great”) elevated Prussia to great power status and implemented substantial political, legal, and economic reforms. Given the magnitude of these accomplishments, it is easy to overlook the fact that he was also an accomplished musician, a composer of chamber music, and a generous patron of the arts and philosophy. Adolph Menzel (1815-1905) based his famous history painting The Flute Concert at Sanssouci (1849-52) on the scene below. Copperplate engraving by Johann Peter Haas, c. 1786.