more clever than reliable; Das Ritteracscii (1822-24); and Deiitschland, oder Bricfe eines in DeutscMand reisenden Deutschen (1826-28). His collected works were published at Stuttgart in 1834-4.5.
WEBER, Karl Maria von (1786-1826). A
famous German composer, born at Eutin, Olden-
burg, December 18, 1786. His musical training
began at a very early age. His father, a shiftless
musician, was" anxious to make him a musical
prodigv' like Jlozart and exhibit him for profit.
Up to' 1800 he received lessons from his step-
brother Fritz; J. P. Heuschkel at Hildburg-
hausen, who grounded him thoroughly in piano
playing; Michael Haydn at Salzburg; and at
Jlunich, from Valesi in singing, and Kalcher,
under whose direction he composed his first opera,
Die Macht dcr Liche und dcs IT'eiHes, the score
of which, with other youtliful compositions, was
accidentally burned. At Freiberg in Saxony
Weber produced in Xovember, 1800, an opera,
Das Waldmadchcn, which failed, however, of
lasting success there or elsewhere. The impulse
to the composing of operas so early in his career
ca7ne from his association with stage lite through
his father's wandering troupe. At Salzburg,
where the family was again in 1801, his third
•opera, Peler SchinoU und seine Frcunde, was
privately heard at the house of his teacher,
Michael' Haydn; subsequently it was given at
Augsburg. Important for Weber was his asso-
ciation as pupil and friend with Abbe Vogler at
Vienna in 1803. In 1804, through Vogler's in-
fluence, he was appointed kapellmeister at Bres-
lau. In 1806 he accepted the post of private
secretary to Did<e Louis of Wiirttemberg. At
Stuttgart, in ISlO, preparations for the produc-
tion of his opera Sih-ana were interrupted by
his arrest at rehearsal. His father was charged
with having misappropriated money. To shield
him, Karl ilaria took the disgrace upon himself,
and both were banished. He went to Mannheim
and Darmstadt and completed his comic opera
Abit Hassan (1810), Weber had no important
appointment until 1813, when he was called to
Prague as conductor of the Landstandisches
Theatre. Among the singers he engaged was Caro-
line Brandt, wliom he had heard at a performance
of his Hilvana in Frankfort and with whom he
now fell in love. Upon their marriage (1817)
Caroline, though in her prime, left the stage and
devoted her life to him. Her influence on Weber
was beneficial in the highest degree. In the same
year Weber, owing to the mark he had made in
Prague, was called to Dresden as conductor of
the opera. His work here as conductor was of
the highest importance to the cause of German
opera, notwithstanding that he often was obliged
to overcome the prejiulices of the King, and the
intrigues of the Italian party, headed by Morlac-
chi, the conductor at tlie Italian opera,
A chance discovery of Apel's drsprnslerbtich
in Dresden led him to take up the subject of
the Freischiitz, and Friedrich Kind wrote a
libretto for him. The composer worked three
years on the score, though not uninterrupted-
ly, since his Invilalinn d la raise (dedicated
to his wife) and other minor works, besides
his Jnhilee Mass and Preciosa, were written
during this period. Per Freischiitz was the
first musical work brought out at the new
Schauspielhaus, Berlin, where it was produced
under Weber's direction, June 18, 1821. and
achieved such a triumph as rarely has fallen to
any stage work. Throughout Germany its success
was equally great, and in London it was per-
formed at three theatres simultaneousl}'. His
Euryanthe, produced in Vienna in 1823, was less
successful there, but was received with acclama-
tion in Dresden and Leipzig and especially in
Berlin. But consumption began to make inroads
upon his strength, and it was with a desperate
desire to provide for his family that he accepted
Charles Kemble's ofl'er of £1000 to compose
Obeion and direct , its production in London.
OberOH was produced at Covent Garden, April 12,
1826, and was received with unboiuided enthu-
siasm, Weber survived only a few weeks, dying
June 5, 1820. In 1844 his botly was removed
from Moorfield's Chapel to Dresden, where
Wagner, wlio had arranged for the occasion a
dirge on themes from Euryanthe, also pronounced
a funeral oration.
Weber's Freischiitz struck a national note, and through it he became the founder of the romantic school of German opera. His influence on Wagner was very marked. The finale of the first act and the march in the sec- ond act of Tannhiiuser, and the first finale in Lohengrin, besides minor passages in both these works, show unmistakably the influence of Weber in structure. Wagner's admiration for Weber was unbounded and Weber's use of the so-called Tomb Motive in ^Hn/niiffte is believed to have had considerable influence on Wagner in shaping his system of leading motives. Weber's Lcyrr und Schirert are among the most spirited German patriotic songs, and several of his piano works, notaljly the Invitation a la i-alse. the E flat nuijor Folonaise, and the Concertstiick for piano and orchestra, are brilliantly effective. BiDLioGRAPHY. Tile best biographies of Weber are .Jahns, K. M. von Weber, eine Lcbensslxizze (Leipzig. 1873), and the one by his son. Max JIaria von Weber, A'. .1/. von Weber, cin Eebens- bild (Leipzig, 1804-68). Consult also the works by Rau (Leipzig, 1865); Benedict (New York, 1881) : Reissmann (Berlin. 1S8C) ; Curzon, Miisieiens du temps passi (Paris, ISflS) ; and Gehrmann (Berlin, 1899).
WEBER, Max Maria von (1822-81). A Ger-
man civil engineer, son of the composer Karl
Maria von Weber. He was born in Dresden
and received his early training in tlie schools
of that city. Part of his experience was
gained under Brunei and Stephenson in Eng-
land. In 1850 he entered the civil service of his
native kingdom. In 1870 he went to Vienna,
where he did much toward the extension of Aus-
trian railways. In 187S he was called in a similar
cap.uity to Berlin. Outside of his oflicial duties
Weber found time for considerable writing, in the
line of general literature as well as on tech-
nical matters. .Among his works may be cited:
l^ehnle des Eisenhahmvrsens (18,57) ; Karl Maria
von Weber; ein Lebrnshild (1864-66) ; Die Praxis
drs liaues und ISetriebs der 8r!,-undiirbahnen
(1873); Nationalitiit und EiscnbahnpoUtik
(1876); and the posthumous Vom rollenden
Fhiaetrad (published by M. Jjihns, with biog-
riipiiy. 1882).
WEBER, TiiEonnn (1836—). . German Old
Catholic hisliop. He was born at Zillpich. studied
at Bonn, Munich, and Hnslau, and became a priest
