Vivaldi
Carl
Maria Von Weber was a composer, conductor and pianist, born at Eutin,
near Lubeck, Germany in 1786. His musical career was quite itinerant, all over
Germany and Czechoslovakia, and he died in England whilst on a concert tour
presenting his last opera "Oberon" in 1826.
He was the
main founder of the German Romantic opera, with Der Freischutz as his
master-work. Like Mozart's Magic Flute, Der Freischutz is a
"Singspiel", in which the dialogue is spoken, not sung recitative as
in the prevalent Italian style. It was enormously successful all over Europe, eclipsing
Rossini's operas in courts all over the continent. Wagner's operas take up where
von Weber's left off. He wrote two symphonies, and several operas, and much
music for the piano, and also a great deal for the clarinet and piano. His most
famous opera, Der Freischutz - "The Free Shooter" is based on a
romantic folk-like tale of life in the countryside. His brilliant and
famous works for clarinet include two clarinet concertos, the "Grand Duo
Concertante" and his clarinet quintet. His most famous work for the piano
is "Invitation to the Dance".