Biography and Chief Works of 

Carl Maria von Weber

1786.

• Born near Lubeck, North Germany.  

• Father a violinist, a member of a family of musicians. (His niece married Mozart) 

• He toured Europe as a Director Of a dramatic company, taking his family.

1796.

• Family moved to Salzburg, Carl joined the choir school ill 1798, under Michael Haydn, brother of Joseph.  

• But family moved again six months later.  

• Mother died.  

• Began to play at concerts and to compose, while continuing to tour.

1803.

• Had lessons from Abt Vogler (of Browning's poem) in Vienna.  

• Also met Haydn.

1804.

• Appointed Kapellmeister at Breslau. Conducted at the theatre, and became known as pianist, extemporiser and piano teacher.  

• Also sang to his own guitar accompaniment.

1807.

• Napoleonic wars made music making difficult, so became private secretary to a dissolute duke at Stuttgart.  Led a gay, frivolous life.  Was about to have an opera produced there when he and his father were imprisoned for alleged bribery.  Innocence established, but banished from state.

1810.

• Restless years, always traveling attracting attention with his romantic personality and his music.  

• Began to write musical criticism.  Wrote singspiel ‘Abu Hassan'.  Met a clarinetist at Munich and wrote 3 concertos for him.  Was in Berlin when his father died, leaving him homeless.

1813.

• Settled at last in Prague as Kapellmeister, becoming an excellent operatic conductor and administrator.  

• Also composed German national songs which appealed to the growing sense of German nationalism.

1816.

• Appointed Director of new German opera company in Dresden, establishing opera in the vernacular, and collecting together a good body of singers and an orchestra.  

• Some rivalry at first with established Italian opera.

1817.

• Married one of the Prague opera singers.

1821.

• 'La Preciosa', a play with music, produced in Berlin.  'Der Freischutz' then followed at a newly-built Berlin opera house for German opera.  Created extraordinary patriotic enthusiasm.  

• Was immediately produced by opera houses all over Germany.

1822.

• Produced Beethoven's 'Fidelio', another German opera, in Dresden.

1823.

• 'Euryanthe' produced in Vienna.  His intention was to produce grand opera in which the dramatic side was more important than it was in Italian opera.  But libretto long and confused, performance had to compete with Rossini's highly successful operas, and it was not a success.  

• Performed elsewhere, usually with same disappointing results.  

• Became depressed and ill.

1825.

• Commissioned to produce an English opera, 'Oberon'. Learnt English in order to do so.  

• Composed music in spite of rapidly railing health.

1826.

• Arrived in London, and gave selections from 'Der Freischutz' amid great enthusiasm. ‘Oberon' splendidly produced.  Had agreed to English visit in order to provide money for his family, but though longing for home, he died of tuberculosis, before he could leave London.

A highly romantic figure, who created many friends and several enemies in his short life.  Much admired by Germans for his national songs, and his development of German opera.  

Essentially a dramatic composer; but also a fine pianist and improviser, whose piano compositions were very popular, and are still occasionally played today.

A number of operas, all, except 'Oberon', in the German language. 'Der Freischutz' the best, containing German songs, and a strong romantic and magical element.  

Laid foundation of German national opera.  

'Euryanthe’ and, even more, the English ‘Oberon’ suffered from poor libretti.

Incidental music for many German plays. 

Many German national songs.

Many piano Pieces, including 4 sonatas, a grand polonaise, ‘Rondo Brillante’ and  'Invitation to the Dance’.

Three concertos for clarinet and 1 for bassoon.  Other orchestral and chamber works relatively unimportant.

Music criticism.