Weber, Carl Maria von 1786 - 1826
Author: Asayama, Natsuko
Last updated：May 1, 2007
Author: Asayama, Natsuko
German composer, pianist, and music writer. Born into a family of a traveling opera troupe, he became familiar with Singspiele by Haydn, Mozart, J.A. Hiller, Paisiello, and others from an early age. His father, whose niece Constanze married Mozart, thus making them relatives of Mozart, was enthusiastic about his son's musical education and apprenticed him to famous musicians in various places. He had already composed and staged an opera by the age of 13. Until his premature death at 40, he left works in all genres, but notably established the genre of opera with German librettos and mythological themes, greatly influencing Wagner.
Weber was also renowned as one of the foremost pianists of his time. Although small in stature, he possessed extraordinarily long fingers that could span a tenth, and his playing technique was said to be in no way inferior to that of Hummel, Moscheles, or Czerny. Passages replete with chromatic scales and arpeggios, spanning the entire keyboard, possess a brilliance befitting a virtuoso's repertoire. However, for Weber, the piano was not merely a means to display technique and astonish people, but a vehicle for emotional expression. One of his friends testified that Weber's playing always conveyed an intimacy that seemed to speak to the heart. Furthermore, with the sensibility of a master of orchestration, he pursued the coloristic possibilities of the piano's timbre. At times, there are sections that might appear simple and even monotonous in their repetition, but a careful listener will notice the unique atmosphere created by subtle harmonic shifts.
Works(40)
Concerto (1)
concerto (3)
Piano Solo (7)
sonata (4)
rondo (2)
Rondo brillante "Aufforderung zum Tanz" Op.65
Key: Des-Dur Composed in: 1819 Playing time: 8 min 30 sec
pieces (4)
6 Favorit-Walzer der Kaiserin von Frankreich, Marie-Louise
Composed in: 1812 Playing time: 8 min 20 sec
variation (8)
8 Variationen über ein Air de Ballet aus Voglers "Castor und Pollux" Op.5
Key: F-Dur Composed in: 1804 Playing time: 10 min 30 sec
6 Variationen über eine Aire aus Voglers "Samori" Op.6
Key: B-Dur Composed in: 1804 Playing time: 17 min 30 sec
7 Variationen über Bianchis Arie "Vien qua, Dorina bella" Op.7
Key: C-Dur Composed in: 1807 Playing time: 13 min 00 sec
7 Variationen über eine Romanze aus Mehuls "Joseph en Egypte" Op.28
Key: C-Dur Composed in: 1812 Playing time: 11 min 30 sec
9 Variationen über das russische Lied "Schöne Minka, ich muss scheiden" Op.40
Key: c-moll Composed in: 1815 Playing time: 19 min 00 sec
polonaise (2)
Various works (3)
Piano Ensemble (1)
pieces (3)
Chamber Music (1)
etc (2)
opera (5)