Carl Maria von Weber

Carl Maria Friedrich Ernest von Weber (?November 19 1786 – June 5 1826) was a German composer, born in the town of Eutin, near Lübeck. He was a critical figure in the development of musical Romanticism, and influenced many composers of his and of subsequent generations, including Wagner, Liszt and Berlioz. He was best known in the 19th century for his operas, including Der Freischütz, an international sensation at the time, and Euryanthe, Oberon, King of the Fairies, Silvana, and Die drei Pintos. His numerous overtures, with their adventurous use of tone color, influenced the development of the symphonic poem.

Early years

There is some confusion as to Weber's exact birthdate: his father said he was born on December 18 and baptized on December 20, but the record of his baptism gives November 20, which suggests he was born instead on November 18 or 19. He observed his own birthday on November 19.

Related Topics:
December 20 - November 20 - November 18

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Weber frequently suffered from ill health as a child, and especially from a congenital disease of the hip joint. However, his family travelled a great deal in his early life, and although this did not help his health or result in a particularly good education, it did result in him becoming familiar with the stage, as he accompanied his father through his various musical posts.

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Weber's father hoped to see him develop into a child prodigy, like his cousin Mozart, whose career was then approaching its end. In furtherance of this scheme, Weber was taught to sing and play the piano almost as soon as he could speak, though he was unable to walk until he was four years old.

Related Topics:
Child prodigy - Mozart - Piano

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In 1798, Michael Haydn taught him for free in Salzburg. In March of that year, Weber's mother died. In April, the family visited Vienna, moving in the autumn to Munich. It was here that Weber's first composition, a set of six fughettas, was published, and here he also took lessons in singing and in composition. Soon afterwards, he began to play successfully in public, and his father urged him to write incessantly. Among the compositions of this period were a mass and an opera Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins (The Power of Love and Wine), now lost. A set of Variations for the Pianoforte, composed a little later, was lithographed by Carl Maria himself, under the guidance of Alois Senefelder, the inventor of the process, in which both the father and the child took great interest.

Related Topics:
Michael Haydn - Salzburg - Vienna - Munich - Fughetta - Composition - Mass - Opera - Alois Senefelder

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