Editing Carl Maria von Weber (section)

==Life and career==
===Childhood===
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was born around 18 November 1786 in [[Eutin]], [[Bishopric of Lübeck]].{{sfn|Brown|2002a}}{{sfn|von Weber|1864|pp=[https://archive.org/stream/carlmariavonweb02webegoog#page/n67/mode/2up 19–20]}} He was the eldest of the three children of Franz Anton von Weber and his second wife, [[Genovefa Weber]], a Viennese singer. He was baptized [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] on 20 November 1786 with the name Carl Friedrich Ernst; the alternative second name Maria appeared only later. His brother and sister died in infancy.{{sfn|Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gesamtausgabe – Biographie}} Both parents were Catholic and originally came from the far south of Germany. The "[[von]]" was an affectation of his father's, who was not an aristocrat and who claimed descent from a south German noble family which was already extinct at the time.

In April 1779, Franz Anton had been appointed director of the prince-bishopric orchestra, Eutin, which, however, was dissolved in 1781 because of spending cuts. He then took the position of Eutin's municipal music director. Dissatisfied with this position, he resigned in 1787 and founded a theatre company in Hamburg. After a brief stay in Vienna, he joined the theatre company of Johann Friedrich Toscani (husband of [[Elisabeth Toscani]]) and Peter Carl Santorini, who performed in [[Kassel]], [[Marburg]], and [[Hofgeismar]]. He tried repeatedly to establish a lasting company of his own but had only intermittent success.{{sfn|Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gesamtausgabe – Biographie}}

Franz Anton's half-brother, {{Ill|Franz Fridolin Weber|de|Franz Fridolin Weber|fr}}, married [[Cäcilia Weber|Cäcilia Stamm]] and had four daughters—[[Josepha Weber|Josepha]], [[Aloysia Weber|Aloysia]], [[Constanze Mozart|Constanze]], and [[Sophie Weber|Sophie]]—all of whom became notable singers. [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] attempted to woo Aloysia, composing several pieces for her. After she rejected his advances, Mozart went on to marry Constanze; thus Mozart's wife was a cousin of Carl Maria von Weber.

A gifted violinist, Franz Anton had ambitions of turning Weber into a [[child prodigy]] like Mozart. Weber was born with a congenital hip disorder and did not begin to walk until he was four. But by then, he was already a capable singer and pianist.

===Education===
Franz Anton gave Weber a comprehensive education, which was frequently interrupted by the family's moves. In 1796, Weber continued his musical education in [[Hildburghausen]], [[Thuringia]], where he was instructed by the oboist [[Johann Peter Heuschkel]]. After moving to Salzburg in autumn 1797, Weber studied from 1798 with [[Michael Haydn]], younger brother of the better-known [[Joseph Haydn]], who agreed to teach Weber free of charge.

His time in Salzburg was overshadowed by the death of his mother Genovefa, who succumbed to [[tuberculosis]] on 13 March 1798, and that of his one-year-old sister Antonetta on 29 December 1798 in [[Munich]]. After the death of Carl's mother, his paternal aunt Adelaide took over the care of him.

A visit to Joseph Haydn in Vienna, presumably in hope of advanced teaching, was fruitless. In autumn 1798, Weber moved to Munich where he studied singing with [[Giovanni Valesi|Johann Evangelist Wallishauser]] and composing with Johann Nepomuk Kalcher, who supervised Weber's first opera, {{Ill|Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins|lt=''Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins''|de}} (''The Power of Love and Wine''). Like his other compositions of that period, this opera is lost. Six [[fughetta]]s for piano of the twelve-year-old Weber were published in [[Leipzig]].

Weber's musical education was extended by a mastering of [[lithography]] which he learned in the workshop of [[Alois Senefelder]] (the inventor of the process) and [[Franz Gleißner]] (autumn 1799). A set of his ''Variations for the Pianoforte'' was lithographed by Weber himself.

In 1800, the family moved to Freiberg in [[Saxony]], where Weber, then 14 years old, wrote an opera called ''Das stumme Waldmädchen'' (''The Silent Forest Maiden''). It was produced at the Freiberg and [[Chemnitz]] theatres and later in [[Saint Petersburg]] (1804), Vienna (1804/1805) and [[Prague]] (1806). The young Weber also began to publish articles as a music critic, for example in the ''Leipziger Neue Zeitung'' in 1801.

In 1801, the family returned to Salzburg, where Weber resumed his studies with Michael Haydn. Weber composed his third opera ''[[Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn]]'' (''Peter Schmoll and His Neighbours'') of which his teacher approved. After a concert tour in 1802 the Webers returned to Augsburg where it is believed ''Peter Schmoll'' premiered.

In mid 1803, Weber continued his studies in Vienna with Abbé Vogler, founder of important music schools in [[Mannheim]], Stockholm, and [[Darmstadt]]. Another famous pupil of Vogler in Darmstadt was Jakob Meyer Beer, later known as [[Giacomo Meyerbeer]], who became a close friend of Weber. In letters they addressed each other as "brother".{{sfn|Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gesamtausgabe – Biographie}}

===Early career 1804–1810===
[[File:Carl Maria von Weber 1814 painting by Thomas Lawrence.jpg|thumb|200px|Carl Maria von Weber (1814) Painting by [[Thomas Lawrence]]]]
Vogler recommended the 17-year-old Weber for the post of Director at the [[Breslau Opera]] in 1804; Weber was offered and accepted the post. He sought to reform the Opera by pensioning off older singers, expanding the orchestra, and tackling a more challenging repertoire. His ambitious and dedicated work as director of the orchestra was acknowledged, though his tempi were frequently criticized as too fast. As the daily routine did not leave sufficient time for his own creative work, Weber did not seek to extend his two-year appointment.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

After an interlude at the court of [[Duke Eugen of Württemberg (1788–1857)|Duke Eugen of Württemberg]], who resided in [[Province of Lower Silesia|Silesia]], Weber served from 1807 to 1810 in [[Stuttgart]] as private secretary to [[Duke Louis of Württemberg|Duke Ludwig]], brother of [[Frederick I of Württemberg|King Frederick I of Württemberg]]. Weber's time in [[Württemberg]] was plagued with troubles. He fell deeply into debt and became entangled in the financial manipulations of his employer, e.g. the sale of confirmations of ducal service which exempted the purchaser from military service. Weber was arrested and charged with [[embezzlement]] and bribery. As he could disprove the allegations, the case was brought under civil law to avoid compromising the ''de facto'' manipulator, the brother of the king. Weber agreed to pay the costs (the last payment was made in 1816) and was banished from Württemberg together with his father.{{sfn|Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gesamtausgabe – Biographie}}

As a sobering side effect, Weber started to keep a diary to list his expenses and correspondence, and make occasional comments on special events.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}

Weber remained prolific as a composer during this period, writing a quantity of [[religious music]], mainly for the Catholic [[mass (liturgy)|mass]]. This, however, earned him the hostility of conservatives working for the re-establishment of traditional chant in [[liturgy]]. In his biography of Weber, [[John Warrack|Warrack]] notes that Weber was an accomplished guitarist.{{sfn|von Weber|1865|pages=1:52, 62, 94, 137, 143, 152, 177, 211, 244, 271, 278}}{{sfn|Warrack|1976|pp=67, 94, 107, 141}} It was in this year that his first song with guitar accompaniment, "Liebeszauber", was printed. Some of his most original and innovative songs were written during the following years, including "Er an Sie" (1808) and "Was zieht zu deinem Zauberkreise" (1809).

===Later career 1810–1826===
In 1810, Weber visited several cities throughout Germany; 1811 was a pivotal year in his career when he met and worked with the Munich court clarinetist Heinrich Baermann and composed the [[Concertino for Clarinet (Weber)|Concertino in E{{Flat}} Major, Op. 26, J. 109]], and the two concerti [[Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Weber)|J. 114]] and [[Clarinet Concerto No. 2 (Weber)|J. 118]] for him; from December 1811 through March 1812, Weber went on tour with Baermann playing the clarinet works, and it was some of the final concerts on this tour that changed public, critical, and royal opinions of Weber's work, and helped him to mount a successful performance of [[Silvana (opera)|''Silvana'']] in Berlin later that year.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Clarinet Virtuosi of the past|last=Weston|first=Pamela|publisher=Emerson Edition|year=1971|isbn=978-0-9506209-8-5|location=Great Britain|pages=124}}</ref>{{sfn|Warrack|1976|pages=138–139}} 
[[File:Carlmariavonwebermuseum dresden2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Weber's summer home (1818–1824) near Dresden; the [[Carl Maria von Weber Museum]]]]
From 1813 to 1816, he was director of the Opera in Prague; from 1816 to 1817 he worked in Berlin, and from 1817 onwards he was director of the prestigious [[Semperoper|Opera in Dresden]], working hard to establish a [[Opera in German|German opera]], in reaction to the [[Italian opera]] which had dominated the European music scene since the 18th century. He was inspired in this endeavour by the ideals of the ''[[Sturm und Drang (music)|Sturm und Drang]]'' period, and also by the German folk song collection "[[Des Knaben Wunderhorn]]" by [[Achim von Arnim|Arnim]] and [[Clemens Brentano|Brentano]]. It was in 1816 that he wrote the Duet Op. 38 for guitar and piano, possibly inspired by similar works printed in Vienna by such composers as [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel|Hummel]] and [[Anton Diabelli|Diabelli]]. On 4 November 1817, he married {{Ill|Caroline Brandt|de}}, a singer who created the title role of ''Silvana''.<ref name="oldandsold.com">[http://music.yodelout.com/carl-maria-von-weber-masters-of-music/ "Carl Maria {{sic|Von|hide=yes|expected=von}} Weber"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207000841/http://music.yodelout.com/carl-maria-von-weber-masters-of-music/ |date=7 December 2022 }}, yodelout.com</ref> In 1819, he wrote perhaps his most famous piano piece, ''[[Invitation to the Dance (Weber)|Invitation to the Dance]]''.

[[File:Ferdinand Schimon Carl Maria von Weber.tif|thumb|220px| Carl Maria von Weber (1825) Portrait by {{ill|Ferdinand Schimon|de}}, Dresden, Städtische Galerie]]

The successful premiere of ''[[Der Freischütz]]'' on 18 June 1821 in Berlin led to performances all over Europe. On the very morning of the premiere, Weber finished his ''[[Konzertstück in F minor (Weber)|Konzertstück in F minor for Piano and Orchestra]]'', and he premiered it a week later.

In 1823, Weber composed his first (and only) full-length, [[Through-composed music|through-composed]] opera ''[[Euryanthe]]'' to a [[libretto]] by [[Helmina von Chézy]], several passages of which (notably the music for the villainous couple Lysiart and Eglantine) anticipate the early, romantic operas of [[Richard Wagner]].{{according to whom|date=July 2019}} In 1824, Weber received an invitation from [[The Royal Opera]], London, to compose and produce ''[[Oberon (Weber)|Oberon]]'', based on [[Christoph Martin Wieland]]'s [[Oberon (poem)|poem of the same name]]. Weber accepted the invitation, and in 1826 he travelled to England, to finish the work and conduct the premiere on 12 April.

Weber was already suffering from tuberculosis when he visited London. He conducted the premiere and twelve sold-out performances of ''Oberon'' in London during April and in May, and despite his rapidly worsening health, he continued to fulfil commitments for private concerts and benefits.

He died in his sleep during the night on 5 June 1826 at the home of his good friend and host [[George Thomas Smart|Sir George Smart]]; he was 39 years old.{{sfn|Brown|2002a}}{{sfn|Warrack|1976|pages=356–362}} He was buried in London in the vaults beneath the Catholic Chapel at [[St Mary Moorfields|Moorfields]], on 21 June 1826. Amongst the chief mourners were many notable musicians and theatre actors of the day including: [[Anton Bernhard Fürstenau|Anton Furstenau]] who had accompanied Weber to London, [[Ignaz Moscheles]], [[Christian Kramer]], [[Charles Kemble]], [[John Duruset]], [[Johann Andreas Stumpff|Johann Stumpff]] and [[James Planché]].<ref>{{cite news |date=26 June 1826 |title= Funeral of M. Von Weber |work= Bell's Weekly Messenger |page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=24 June 1826 |title= Funeral of the Baron Von Weber |work= Caledonian Mercury |page=2 }}</ref>

Eighteen years later, in December 1844, his remains were transferred to the family burial plot in the [[Old Catholic Cemetery, Dresden|Old Catholic Cemetery]] in [[Dresden]] at the side of his youngest son Alexander, who at the age of 19 had died of measles seven weeks before. The simple gravestone, designed by [[Gottfried Semper]], lies against the northern boundary wall. Wagner composed a eulogy "An Weber's Grabe" WWV 72 for the reburial.<ref>[[Simon Callow]], ''Being Wagner: The Triumph of the Will'', p. 60</ref> The piece for male choir [[a cappella]] was premiered on 16 December 1844 in Dresden.<ref>"An Weber's Grabe" WWV 72</ref> For this occasion Wagner also composed Funeral Music for Winds after Themes from "Euryanthe" of Weber, WWV 73.

Weber's unfinished [[comic opera]] ''[[Die drei Pintos]]'' (''The Three Pintos'') was originally given by his widow to [[Meyerbeer]] for completion; it was eventually completed by [[Gustav Mahler]], who conducted the first performance in Leipzig on 20 January 1888.