Weiss was born in Silesia in 1778;[1] moving to Vienna, he became in the 1790s a viola player in an informal string quartet led by Ignaz Schuppanzigh, which played weekly for Prince Lichnowsky.
[2][3] He was later a member of Count Razumowsky's private string quartet, established in 1808 and led by Schuppanzigh.
[4] From 1819 to 1823 Weiss played viola in a string quartet assembled by Joseph Böhm.
[3] Weiss was also well-known in Vienna as a violinist, and regularly held his own concerts, mostly of chamber music.
He was a composer, his works including chamber music, piano sonatas, overtures and symphonies.