Traugott Maximilian Eberwein (27 October 1775 – 2 December 1831), was a German composer and conductor, who is attributed with the start of early musical history in

Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, with the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide va ...

Family

Eberwein was born into a musical family, his father Alexander Bartholomäus Eberwein (1751-1811) was a court musician and his brother Carl Eberwein was a composer who frequently worked with

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

, putting his work into music such as

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

. Eberwein had three children with his wife Catharina Bianchi, Caecilie Eberwein (1800-1800), Julius Eberwein (1802-1870) and Ludwig Eberwein (1805-1884).

Biography

Eberwein was taught music at an early age by his father, where he learned all sorts of instruments and already started composing music at the age of seven with a

Timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

. In 1782, he was already making money for the family by playing music at weddings and funerals. In 1791, after his father thought he gained a basic understanding of music, he stopped teaching him. He later continued getting taught by Johann Matthäus Rempt. Eberwein later went to study musicology and violin and became a pupil of F.L.Æ. Kunzen in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, and Ernst Johann Christoph Schick in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

. While visiting Johann Christian Eberwein in 1799, he gathered the attention of

Louis Frederick II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Louis Frederick II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Rudolstadt, 9 August 1767 – Rudolstadt, 28 April 1807) was from 1793 to 1807 reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Life Louis Frederick was born on 9 August 1767 in Rudolstadt and ...

which led to him getting invited to his residence, to which he at first politely declined. Once he had returned back to

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

, he met and later married Catharina Bianchi, the daughter of Andreas Giorgio Maria Bianchi, a wealthy Italian businessman. After his marriage, in 1803 he got the opportunity for a Study trip throughout Italy, where he studied under

Fedele Fenaroli Fedele Fenaroli (25 April 1730, in Lanciano – 1 January 1818, in Naples) was an Italian composer and teacher. Fenaroli entered the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto, one of the Music conservatories of Naples, becoming a pupil of Francesc ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. After his return from the Study trip, he went to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

where he visited

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, whom he impressed after showing him some of his work. After this, he also visited other composers such as

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

and

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarchy ...

. In 1810, he went back to Vienna to visit Beethoven and Selieri where he then met

Anton Reicha Anton (Antonín, Antoine) Joseph Reicha (Rejcha) (26 February 1770 – 28 May 1836) was a Czech-born, Bavarian-educated, later naturalized French composer and music theorist. A contemporary and lifelong friend of Beethoven, he is now best reme ...

. On 18 October 1831, he performed his last public Opera "Das befreite Jerusalem", at the Theater Rudolstadt. He died on 2 December 1831 due to an illness.

Works

Operas

* Piedro und Elvira * Claudine von Villa Bella * Das befreite Jerusalem * Ferdusi * Das goldene Netz

Singspiele

* Die hohle Eiche * Das Storchnest * Der Mond * Die Fischerin * Das Schachtournier

Songs

* Ergo bibamus (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) * Der Jahrmarkt zu Plundersweilen (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

Other

* Overture in C-Dur * Symphony No. 3 in Es-Dur op. 84 * Mass in As-Dur op. 87