Count Heinrich Carl Wilhelm Vitzthum von Eckstädt (26 March 1770, Dresden - 11 October 1837, Dresden) was a Saxon Privy Councilor, who served as General Director of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, and the

Staatskapelle Dresden The Staatskapelle Dresden (known formally as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden) is a German orchestra based in Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Founded in 1548 by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, it is one of the world's oldest and most highly re ...

Biography

He was born into the noble family of and was the fourth son of . His mother was his father's second wife, Auguste Erdmuthe (1738–1775), from the noble family of . Like most of his relatives, he embarked on an administrative career, in service to the House of Wettin, and was initially a private financial counselor at the Dresden Court. In 1815, he was appointed the Royal Saxon Court Marshal. This automatically made him Director of the Staatskapelle and the , in Dresden and Leipzig. In those positions, he is primarily known for the vigorous support he gave to the composer, Carl Maria von Weber who, at his urging, was named

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

in 1816. He also served as Director of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, and the

Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig The Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (HGB) or Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig is one of the oldest art schools in Germany, dating back to 1764. The school has four colleges specializing in fine arts, graphic design Graphic design is a profe ...

, until shortly before his death. In 1793, he married Friederike Wilhelmine Gräfin von Hopffgarten (1767-1837), the daughter of , a Saxon Cabinet Minister.Hugo Schramm-Macdonald, Eduard Maria Oettinger (Eds.), ''Moniteur des Dates, contenant un million de renseignements biographiques, généalogiques et historiques'', Vol.3, Oettinger, 1868, pg.6
Online
@ Google Books They had eight children, only four of whom survived infancy.

References

External links

Entry in the Deutschen Digitalen Bibliothek (DDB)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitzthum von Eckstadt, Heinrich Carl Wilhelm 1770 births 1837 deaths Counts in Germany Saxon nobility Dresden Academy of Fine Arts Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig People from Dresden