Johann Ritter von Herbeck (25 December 1831 – 28 October 1877) was an Austrian conductor and composer, best known for leading the premiere of

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

's "Unfinished" Symphony.

Life and career

He was practically a self-educated musician, but by hard work rose rapidly from the position of chorister to that of

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

in the Vienna Conservatory. From 1859 to 1870 and again from 1873 to 1877 he conducted the concerts of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, which under his energetic leadership became events of prime importance. In 1866 he was made chief court Kapellmeister and from 1871 to 1875 he was director of the Imperial Opera, resigning over intrigues and annoyances he could not tolerate.Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954 He was a great supporter of the music of

, and conducted the premiere of his "Unfinished" Symphony in 1865. In 1867 he conducted the first three movements of Brahms's '' A German Requiem''. He also conducted the Viennese premiere of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

's ''

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...

''. He was fairly influential in local musical life for much of his career. He was responsible for

Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...

's appointment in Vienna and was one of his most ardent supporters.

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

described him as a first-rate conductor.Embellishments
He wrote many excellent part-songs and some instrumental music. His orchestral music included ''Tanzmomente'' (which

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

arranged for solo piano, S. 492), ''Künstlerfahrt'', Symphonic Variations and several symphonies, among them a Symphony in D minor with organ (No. 4, his opus 20, published in 1878 posthumously in arrangement ). He also wrote a String Quartet in F, Op. 9, and various other works remain in manuscript. One of his best-loved works is ''Pueri Concinite'', a Christmas motet for boys' choir and solo voice. 1866 he wrote the Great Mass for chorus, organ and orchestra, recorded by the Philharmonic Choir Munich and the Philharmonie Festiva conducted by Gerd Schaller.Prestocassical
/ref> In 1874, three years before his death, Herbeck was appointed to the third rank of the Iron Crown, which raised him to knighthood, and he was henceforth "Johann Ritter von Herbeck". His son Ludwig wrote a memoir of his father in 1885.

References

Citations

Sources

* E. Hanslick, ''Suite (Zwei Wiener Kapellmeister)'' (Vienna, 1884) * David Ewen, Encyclopedia of Concert Music. New York; Hill and Wang, 1959.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Herbeck, Johann Ritter von 1831 births 1877 deaths Composers from Austria-Hungary 19th-century Austrian classical composers 19th-century Austrian conductors (music) Austrian Romantic composers Conductors (music) from Austria-Hungary Austrian male classical composers Austrian male conductors (music) Musicians from Vienna Austrian opera managers