He was very prolific in works for the church, and in other vocal and instrumental pieces, and produced 7 operas, an oratorio and many cantatas; but he is best known for lucid and able text-books (from 1809), treating not only of harmony and composition, but of singing, the piano, the clarinet, the double-bass, etc.
The French line of theorists includes these:—
Charles Simon Catel (d. 1830), already referred to as an opera-writer (see sec. 177), who was the first professor of harmony in the Conservatoire (from 1795). His text-book (1802) was used there until about 1820. He was the first French authority to give up the imperfect theory of Rameau and to regard chords as built up normally in thirds, the type-forms being derived from the harmonics of the dominant. Jérome Joseph Momigny (d. 1838), from 1800 a music-publisher in Paris, advocated a system like Catel's, though justified by different reasoning and put forward with needless conceit (several books, 1806-34). He made the first clear statement of the doctrine of measure, phrase and period.
Anton Reicha (d. 1836) was born at Prague in 1770 and was brought up by an uncle there and at Bonn. From 1788 he was a flutist in the Bonn orchestra (with Beethoven) and undertook orchestral composition. From 1794 he taught at Hamburg and in 1799 went to Paris with operatic aspirations. From 1802 he was in Vienna, on familiar terms with Beethoven and other leading musicians. In 1808 he returned to Paris and now had some success with operas. But he won his place chiefly as a teacher and a writer of orchestral and chamber works. In 1818 he followed Méhul as professor of counterpoint at the Conservatoire. He published an extended treatise (1824-6) and several other theoretical works (from 1814). He had the faculty of clear presentation, and his writings long commanded respect. His principal power as a composer lay in chamber music (over 100 works), much of which is highly esteemed. He was also a fine pianist and the ambitious writer of sonatas, fugues, études and variations.
Luigi Cherubini (d. 1842), the many-sided composer (see secs. 154, 163, 184), professor at the Conservatoire from 1816, was recognized as the most powerful contrapuntist of his day. He transmitted his learning to many pupils, and late in life (1835), assisted by Halévy, published a famous treatise on counterpoint that is a classic. He had rare gifts in combining richness of structure with clarity and beauty, and his varied experience gave him a remarkable breadth of style and sympathy.
Gottfried Weber (d. 1839), a prominent lawyer, from 1802 at Mannheim, from 1814 at Mayence and from 1818 at Darmstadt, was an enthusiastic musical student and organizer. Through a diligent use of authorities, like Kirnberger and Knecht, he elaborated a compendium of composition (3 vols., 1817-21), which was the most important German text-book of the period and remained useful long after. It contained the first use of certain symbols (letters and numerals) for designating chords which are still common. He published other theoretical manuals (1822, '33) and wrote much for periodicals, especially for Cäcilia, a magazine which he edited at Mayence from 1824 till his death. He composed considerable vocal music, sacred and secular.
