( b Rain am Lech, 2 April 1803; d Munich, 20 Jan 1890). German composer and conductor. Having been conductor of the Kärntnertor Theater, Vienna (1829), he became prominent in musical life in Munich (1836), conducting the court opera, concerts of the Musikalische Akademie and Königliche Vokalkapelle and festivals; personal confrontation with Wagner brought his career to an abrupt end in 1864. A prolific and craftsmanlike composer, he was influenced mainly by Beethoven and Schubert; the opera Catarina Cornaro (1841), the seventh orchestral suite (1881) and the Requiem op.146 had particular success. His brothers Theodor (1788-1877), Ignaz (1807-95) and Vinzenz (1811-93) were all musicians.
The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.