MEYERBEER, GIACOMO (1791- 1364). A famous German composer. He was born at Berlin, of wealthy Jewish parents, and gave early promise of musical talent, which his parents encouraged. Lauska. considered the best teacher in Berlin, superintended his studies, while Clementi took a special interest in his progress and instruction. He made his first pub lic appearance as a boy of nine. In 1806 he be came a student under Vogler, and entered the latter's academy in Darmstadt, where he formed a friendship with Weber, which proved to be life long. Meyerbeer's earliest compositions gave lit tle indication of the success he afterwards achieved, and in style were largely ecclesiastical. An opera, Jephthah's Voir, dating from this period, is singularly dull and heavy, and when first given was little esteemed by the general public, though the critics thought highly of it. A Lime/ck (1813) was a comic opera which met with a more favorable reception than any of his previous efforts, and was especially fateful in that it took its composer to Vienna. where he first heard Hummel. whose virtuosity on the piano so impressed him that he postponed all his plans and went into retirement with the objeet of perfecting his own style. After a brief stay in Paris he went to Venice (1815), and at tempted to duplicate Rossini's success, with a series of operas in the Italian vein: llonti/do c Costan:a ( 8I5) ; Rrirrirrunide ( ; lieSb 111'110 (1619) ; a ngift (1820); L'esulc di Clronata (1822) ; and II crociato in Egit I o (1824 ) , which latter made a tremendous success. in none of these operas is there the faintest trace of his German training. An attempt to win German favor with the last named opera proved a failure, as did a similar attempt in Paris. From 1826 to 1831 little was heard of him publicly, but apparently the time was not wasted. to Menddd le• was devoting himself to the study of the Vreneh style. and particularly French opera. 11 is father's death and the subsequent death of two of his children weighed upon him, for he was a man of strong family attachments. Ile resolved
to expatriate himself from Germany, and at the same time to desert the Italian for the French style of composition. Robert le Diable (IS31) and Les Huguenots (1836) were the first fruits of his French studies; operas so intimately de scriptive of French history and customs as to appeal irresistibly to the French public. Their success 1.1%1S immediate; so much so that, despite the determined opposition of the German clas sicists, llobrrt le Diable, Les llur7ueno/•c, Le Proplri1.•, and Di/torah were all suceessfully given in Germany. llis success in both France and Germany caused the Prussian Government to invite him to Berlin, where, in 1812, lie was made Royal Music Director. Although not a great orchestral leader, he nevertheless accom plished important results during his stay in Ber lin.
Has l•'rlrliugue• in ,clehlesirn belongs to this period and had moderate success, as did Siencn src, a scarcely known work. but one which is con sidered to contain his best writing. In 1849 he returned to Paris, where Le Prophiqe was per formed with remarkable SUCCORS. Ile regarded] L'A [rid-nine, on slid he had worked on and off for over thirty years. as Ids best work: hut Nol(crt le Hiuble, and above all Les Hugu have by their continued popularity proved the verdict to be in their favor. Ile was greatly in strumental in developing many famous singers, notably Lucca (q.v.), and in a measure Jenny Lind. To the poor and needy he was especially generous, the Ileyerbeer.stiftung may similar bequests bearing ample testimony to the fact. As a eomposer he belongs to the world's great masters, not withstandino. the feeble ness and trivial (diameter of much of his music. Impartial criticism is in agreement with those of his detractors who elaimed that his faults were due to his insatiate craving for popularity. Ile died in Paris. Consult : De ]inn•, .1begr•bmr, sa pie, Res wurres rt SW) I. MISS (Paris, 1865) : (liocomo I/I yerbr4 r. eine Itio97-nphi,( Berlin, 181;8): r ( Paris, ; De Lasalle. 1Dyd rlu r, Rm rie rf lr en/o h/110r (/, ar•s IrlirrrS ( Paris,