Weber, Gottfried

1779-1839

 

Composer and writer on musical subjects; born at Friesheim, near Mannheim. After studying law at Heidelberg and Gottingen he held positions as counselor and judge at Mainz, Mannheim and Darmstadt, at which lattjer place he received the appointment of general state attorney from the Grand Duke in 1832. He was an enthusiastic amateur flutist, violoncellist and pianist and took an active part in the musical life of the town where he lived, founding the Conservatory and conducting the musical society and the Hofkirche at Mannheim, and directing opera and the Musical Museum while he was at Mainz. He also founded a musical journal which he called the Cacilia. A close student of Kirnberger and Marpurg and Abt Vogler, he wrote Versuch einer geordneten Theorie der Tonsetzkunst. He also wrote Weberschen Doppelnosaune, contributed to Auber's and Ersch's Encyclopedia, and to various musical magazines. Other works were t)ber chronometrische Tempobezeichnung; Allgemeine Musiklehre and Die Generalbasslehre zum Selbstunterricht.