Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/466

WEBER. 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