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Carl Maria von Weber

Carl Maria von Weber (d. 1826) belonged to an extensive family in which musical ability was frequent. His father and the father of Mozart's wife were brothers, so that he and Mozart were cousins by marriage, though the latter died while Weber was but a child. His father (d. 1812) was something of a soldier, a respectable viola and double-bass-player, and able to turn his hand to other things. Twice married, he had many children, the most musical of whom were Fritz and Edmund in the first set, both pupils of Haydn, and Carl, the eldest of the second set. The latter was born in 1786 at Eutin (near Lübeck), where since 1779 the father had been choirmaster or band-leader.

The elder Weber was versatile and restless. His second wife was a good stage-soprano and all the children had talent. So the family moved from place to place, giving concerts and plays in a half-gipsy fashion. During his first 25 years the young Carl was never in one place more than three years, often only a few months. The range of his travels was from Lübeck and Hamburg on the north to Munich and Salzburg on the south, and from Breslau on the east to Stuttgart and Mannheim on the west. Thus he saw a deal of the world, especially on the theatric side.

His first good teaching in music was in 1796 from J. P. Heuschkel (d. 1853), court-oboist and organist at Hildburghausen, who gave him sound training in piano-playing. In 1798 at Salzburg he had careful lessons in composition from Michael Haydn. In 1799 these were continued at Munich under J. N. Kalcher (d. 1826), the court-organist. Here he began concert-playing and wrote several extended works (later burnt). Here, too, he and his father became absorbed over the new process of lithography, and the family moved to Freiberg (Saxony), intending to adopt it as a business. But, encountering a good dramatic company, Weber undertook his first real opera, Das Waldmädchen (1800), which later had some success at Vienna and Prague. In 1801-2 at Salzburg he wrote Peter Schmoll (1803 ? Augsburg). From 1802 he began independent studies, which in 1803 were stimulated by close relations at Vienna with Vogler. Here, too, he met Haydn and Beethoven and was intimate with Hummel and other players.

On Vogler's nomination in 1804, Weber became conductor at the theatre at Breslau. Here was disclosed his latent ability as leader and manager. Among his admirers were Berner and Klingohr, from whom he derived much on the pianistic side. In 1806, accidentally swallowing some acid, he ruined his voice, at least for singing. In this year he left his post, friction having developed, especially with the previous concertmaster, Schnabel. After an interval at a Silesian castle and some concert-giving, in 1807 he became secretary to Duke Ludwig of Württemberg at Stuttgart—a place of moral risk, as the Duke was