Iii. Presto - Music

Ignace Joseph Pleyel June 18 1757 – November 14 1831 Was An Austrian-Born French Composer And Piano Builder Of The Classical Period. He Was Born In Ruppersthal In Lower Austria The Son Of A Schoolmaster Named Martin Pleyel. He Was The 24th Of 38 Children In The Family. While Still Young He Probably Studied With Johann Baptist Vanhal And From 1772 He Became The Pupil Of Joseph Haydn In Eisenstadt. As With Beethoven Born 13 Years Later Pleyel Benefited In His Study From The Sponsorship Of Aristocracy In This Case Count Ladislaus Erdődy 1746–1786 . Pleyel Evidently Had A Close Relationship With Haydn Who Considered Him To Be A Superb Student. Among Pleyel's Apprentice Work From This Time Was A Puppet Opera Die Fee Urgele 1776 Performed In The Marionette Theater At The Palace Of Eszterháza And In Vienna. Pleyel Apparently Also Wrote At Least Part Of The Overture Of Haydn's Opera Das Abgebrannte Haus From About The Same Time. Pleyel's First Professional Position May Have Been As Kapellmeister For Count Erdődy Although This Is Not Known For Certain. Among His Early Publications Was A Set Of Six String Quartets His Opus 1. In The Early 1780s Pleyel Visited Italy Where He Composed An Opera Ifigenia In Aulide And Works Commissioned By The King Of Naples. Attracted To The Benefits Associated With An Organist Position Pleyel Moved To Strasbourg France In 1783 To Work Alongside Franz Xaver Richter The Maître De Chapelle At The Strasbourg Cathedral. The Cathedral Was Extremely Appealing To Pleyel As It Possessed A Full Orchestra A Choir And A Large Budget Devoted To Performances. After Establishing Himself In France Pleyel Voluntarily Called Himself By The French Version Of His Name Ignace. While He Was The Assistant Maître De Chapelle At Strasbourg Cathedral He Wrote More Works Than During Any Other Period In His Musical Career 1783–1793 . 4 At The Cathedral He Would Organize Concerts That Featured His Symphonies Concertantes And Liturgical Music. After Richter's Death In 1789 Pleyel Assumed The Function Of Full Maître De Chapelle. In 1788 Pleyel Married Françoise-Gabrielle Lefebvre The Daughter Of A Strasbourg Carpet Weaver. The Couple Had Four Children The Oldest Being Their Son Camille. Maria Pleyel Née Moke 1811–1875 The Wife Of Camille Was One Of The Most Accomplished Pianists Of Her Time. Pleyel Moved To Paris In 1795. In 1797 He Set Up A Business As A Music Publisher "Maison Pleyel" Which Among Other Works Produced A Complete Edition Of Haydn's String Quartets 1801 As Well As The First Miniature Scores For Study The Bibliothèque Musicale "musical Library" . The Publishing Business Lasted For 39 Years And Published About 4000 Works During This Time Including Compositions By Adolphe Adam Luigi Boccherini Ludwig Van Beethoven Muzio Clementi Johann Baptist Cramer Johann Ladislaus Dussek Johann Nepomuk Hummel And Georges Onslow. Pleyel Visited Vienna On Business In 1805 Meeting His Now Elderly Mentor Haydn For A Final Time And Hearing Beethoven Play. In 1807 Pleyel Became A Manufacturer Of Pianos. Pleyel Was Prolific Composing 41 Symphonies 70 String Quartets And Several String Quintets And Operas. Many Of These Works Date From The Strasbourg Period Pleyel's Production Tailed Off After He Had Become A Businessman. read less