Beethoven's Contemporaries

Attwood, Thomas: English composer, 1765-1838. He was educated as a choirboy at St. Paul's Cathedral, and then went to Vienna to study with Mozart. He wrote many operas, but is now remembered for his church music. He became organist of St. Paul's and was a close friend of Mendelssohn.

Auber, Daniel: French composer, 1782-1871. When he was a youth he came to London and whilst earning his living in a business office took part in all sorts of musical activities. At 22 he went back to Paris and soon became known as a gifted composer. In his long life he wrote about 40 operas (all very tuneful), some of which are still remembered by their bright, vigorous overtures.

Bellini, Vincenzo: Italian composer, 1801-1835. He was a very popular composer of opera. His masterpieces, such as La Sonnambula (1831), Norma (1831), and I Puritani (1835), were introduced into the repertory in the 1950s by among others, the Greek soprano Maria Callas, and are now frequently performed. They are full of beautiful melodies and call for great artistry on the part of the singers. Bellini's kind of melody greatly influenced Chopin, who produced an equivalent "singing style" in his piano music.

Billings, William: American composer, 1746-1800. He was born in Boston, where he lived and worked as a tanner, composing music in his spare time. Though his knowledge of musical theory was limited, he was a lively and fearless composer, and his music is the first by an American that is not based directly on European models. He wrote mainly hymns, anthems, and songs--some of which are "fuguing tunes" (songs in which the voice parts come in one after another, somewhat in the matter of a fugue).

Bishop, Sir Henry: English composer, 1786-1855. He was famous as a London conductor and composer. He wrote many operas, and "adapted" operas by composers rather greater than himself! A song from one of his operas, Clari, or The Maid of Milan (1823), is still sung: "Home, sweet Home". He was the first English composer to be honored with a knighthood.

Cherubini, Luigi: Italian composer, 1760-1842. Cherubini was much admired as a composer (particularly by Napoleon) and became very influential--though some people felt his style was a little too dry and monumental. Nevertheless his many operas met with great success, particularly Les deux Journees (1800) (known in England as The Water Carrier) which influenced even Beethoven, and Medee (1797). In his later years he wrote much fine church music, for he was a great master of polyphony.

Clementi, Muzio: Italian composer and pianist, 1752-1832. He was trained in Rome and his first composition were heard when he was 12 years old. When he was 14 he was brought to London by a rich Englishman. He continued his studies and then, in 1773, took musical England by storm. His reputation as a pianist, composer and teacher spread throughout Europe and he wrote a great deal of music to demonstrate the special qualities of the pianoforte which was at that time displacing the harpsichord as a popular instrument. When he was about as a popular instrument. When he was about 60 he became a music publisher and a manufacturer of pianos. His sonatas, sonatinas and studies are well worth playing.

Cramer, Johann Baptist: German born composer, 1771-1858. He was a member of an important musical family that settled in London in 1772. He became famous as a pianist and wrote many "studies" to help pass on his technique. He wrote seven piano concertos, 105 piano sonatas, and many small piano pieces, etc. In 1842 he founded the music-publishing house of Cramer (originally Cramer, Addison and Beale), which is still in existence. The firm also made pianos.

Crotch, William: English composer, 1775-1847. His father, a musical carpenter, made him a small organ which he began to play when he was two. When he was four he gave organ recitals in London; when he was 11 he became pupil-assistant to the organist of King's and Trinity Colleges, Cambridge, and when he was 14 he composed an oratorio (The Captivity of Judah) which was performed in that city. When he was 15 he became organist of Christ Church College, Oxford.

Czerny, Carl: Austrian piano teacher and composer, 1791-1857. He was a pupil and friend of Beethoven. He became famous as a teacher of the piano and a composer of dozens of books of studies for the instrument. At one time everyone who was learning to play the piano played Czerny studies.

Diabelli, Anton: Austrian composer and publisher, 1781-1858. He was a friend of Haydn and Beethoven and pupil of Michael Haydn. He became a popular teacher of piano and guitar and wrote many simple pieces for the piano, as well as easy masses suitable for use in the less ambitious churches. Having thus prospered, he set up as a publisher, first in partnership (1818) and then under his own name (1824). He is remembered today, however, as the man who wrote the waltz tune that Beethoven used for his Diabelli Variations. Diabelli intended a publicity gimmick--inviting various composers to write one variation each. Beethoven's set of 33 far exceeded his expectations!

Donizetti, Gaetano: Italian composer, 1797-1848. With Bellini he represents a type of Italian opera that employed romantic stories, set to music of great melodic beauty. The main emphasis is on the human voice, the orchestra acting mainly as a discreet accompaniment. His first opera appeared in 1818 and was followed by a string of 70 or more, most of which enjoyed considerable success. His masterpieces include two romantic tragedies: Lucrezia Borgia (1833), and Lucia di Lammermoor (1835); and two sparkling comedies: The Daughter of the Regiment (La Fille du Regiment) (1840), and Don Pasquale (1843).

Field, John: Irish composer and pianist, 1782-1837. Field wrote seven piano concertos, a small quantity of chamber music, and a number of individual piano pieces. His main claim to fame, however, lies in his 18 Nocturnes for piano. These greatly influenced Chopin, and are, indeed, almost worthy of him. Field invented the form and singing style that is part of it--Chopin, however, perfected it.

Herold, Louis: French composer, 1791-1833. He studied in Paris at the Conservatoire, winning the Prix de Rome in 1812. He then settled to a successful career as an operatic composer, though he also wrote ballets and a great deal of piano music. His most important operas include La Clochette (1817), La Pre aux Clercs (1832), and Zampa (1831), which is also world-famous for its lively overture.

Hook, James: English composer, 1746-1827. He studied with the organist of Norwich Cathedral and then made a very successful career in London as an organist, piano teacher, and composer of popular vocal and instrumental pieces for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. He had a great capacity for writing attractive tunes, such as The Lass of Richmond Hill.

Hummel, Johann Nepomuk: Hungarian composer, 1778-1837. A pupil of Mozart, he made his first appearance as a pianist in 1787 at one of Mozart's concerts. Thereafter he toured extensively in Bohemia, Germany, Denmark, and England. On his return to Vienna in 1793 he devoted himself more to composition, and this alternation of composing and touring continued throughout his career. Though he wrote much music of all kinds, he is mainly remembered as one of the founders of modern piano technique.

Mendelssohn, Felix: 1809-1847. Mendelssohn's music is elegant, melodious, and completely charming. It is not perhaps the most powerful music of the 19th century (though there are some remarkably strong moments, in, for example, Elijah), but it is always satisfying. Unlike many 19th-century composers he retained something of the classicism of the 18th century. And so, even when he is being poetic and descriptive, as in the Hebrides Overture, there is a strong feeling for balance and proportion that never lets the imaginative side of his genius race ahead out of hand.

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Austrian composer, 1756-1791. On the surface Mozart's music may seem merely to be elegant and pretty and no different from the kind of thing the average 18th-century composer turned out all the time. And it is indeed true that he was content to use the musical language of his times. He was not interested in revolutionizing the ingredients of music. But he was revolutionary in what he caused those ingredients to say. Add to this his extraordinary technique--so fluent that he could carry out the most complicated musical task with the greatest ease--and the immensity of Mozart's genius soon becomes apparent. He is one of that select band of composers whose work seems to achieve perfection.

Paganini, Niccolo: Italian violinist and composer, 1782-1840. Though he made a successful debut when he was nine, his professional touring career began in earnest in 1797. His private life was somewhat disreputable, but this only added to his public reputation, and his mastery of the violin was such that he was commonly supposed to be in league with the devil! He wrote a considerable amount of music for the violin, notably the 24 Caprices for solo violin and the three violin concertos, which greatly extended playing techniques.

Pleyel, Ignaz: Austrian composer, 1757-1831. He was a pupil of Haydn, but also studied in Italy. He was organist of Strasburg Cathedral for some time, but later settled in Paris as a music publisher. In 1807 he founded the piano factory which still bears his name. He wrote a vast amount of music, including 29 symphonies.

Rossini, Gioacchino: Italian composer, 1792-1868. Rossini's music is lively and witty, beautifully orchestrated, and well thought out for the theatre. And it is, above all else, tuneful: full of the kind of tunes that singers love to sing, and audiences cannot help remembering. As a composer he was immensely popular and successful, and was admired even by musicians who were quite different from him in charater and music--men such as Beethoven and Wagner. His music shows no signs of fading.

Salieri, Antonio: Italian composer, 1750-1825. He wrote operas for Milan, Venice, Rome, and Paris, but spent most of his successful career in Vienna. He as a friend of Haydn and Beethoven, but seems to have intrigued against Mozart, whom he thought of as a dangerous rival. There is no truth, however, in the rumor that Salieri actually poisoned Mozart!

Shubert, Franz: Austrian composer, 1797-1828. Schubert's music is remarkable not only for its quantity, but for its unfailing inventiveness. He is one of the most prolific composers of melodies there has ever been. At the heart of Schubert's music are, of course, the songs. They are unlike anything that had been written before. They range from simple tunes, almost like folksongs, to complex dramatic "scenes" that are almost like miniature operas.

Shield, William: English composer, 1748-1829. He was apprenticed to a boatbuilder, but studied music in his spare time and eventually became a professional violin and viola player. After working in various London theatres he began writing ballad operas, the most famous of which is Rosina (1782). In 1817 he was appointed Master of the King's Music.

Spontini, Gasparo: Italian composer, 1774-1851. After a successful early career as an operatic composer in Naples and Rome, he settled in Paris (1803) and became very famous indeed. In 1820 he went to Berlin, where he remained until 1842. Spontini was one of the composers who helped to establish Grand Opera. His most famous works in this style were La Vestale (1807), Fernand Cortez (1809), and Olympie (1819).

Weber, Carl Maria von: German composer, 1786-1826. The most outstanding member of a family of German musicians who were Mozart's cousins by marriage. Weber made a name for himself as a pianist and wrote much instrumental music, particularly for wind instruments; indeed, his contribution to the clarinet's repertoire is the most important between Mozart and Brahms.

Wesley, Samuel: English composer, 1766-1837. The son of Charles Wesley, the great hymn-writer, and a nephew of John Wesley, the great preacher and founder of Methodism. He was a child prodigy, both as a composer and as an organist, and was later considered to be the finest organist of his day. He wrote a number of fine motets, several large-scale choral works, five organ concertos, five symphonies, three overtures, much chamber music, as well as glees, songs, and music for the piano and organ. One of the first to champion the cause of J.S. Bach in England, he helped to arrange and publish much of Bach's music. This common interest promoted a close friendship between Wesley and the young Mendelssohn.