Ignaz Pleyel

Ignaz (Ignace) Joseph Pleyel (French: [plɛjɛl]; German: [ˈplaɪl̩]; 18 June 1757 – 14 November 1831) was an Austrian composer, music publisher[1] and piano builder of the Classical period.

As with Beethoven, born 13 years later, Pleyel benefited in his study from the sponsorship of aristocracy, in this case Count Ladislaus Erdődy (1746–1786).

Among Pleyel's apprentice work from this time was a puppet opera Die Fee Urgele, (1776) performed in the marionette theater at the palace of Eszterháza and in Vienna.

In the early 1780s, Pleyel visited Italy, where he composed an opera (Ifigenia in Aulide) and works commissioned by the king of Naples, Ferdinand I.

[8] The cathedral was extremely appealing to Pleyel as it possessed a full orchestra, a choir, and a large budget devoted to performances.

Seeking alternative employment, Pleyel traveled to London, where he led the "Professional Concerts" organized by Wilhelm Cramer.

In this capacity Pleyel inadvertently played the role of his teacher's rival, as Haydn was at the same time leading the concert series organized by Johann Peter Salomon.

On his return to Strasbourg, he bought a large house, the moated Château d'Ittenwiller [fr], about 35 km south of the city, between nearby Saint-Pierre and Eichhoffen in the Bas-Rhin department.

He was brought before the Committee of Public Safety a total of seven times, due to his foreign status, his recent purchase of a château, and his ties with the Strasbourg Cathedral.

With prudent opportunism, Pleyel preserved his future by composing several pieces in honor of the new republic, all of which were written in Strasbourg around the time of the Terror.

One example is Le Jugement de Pâris, a pantomime-ballet by Citoyen (Citizen) Gardel and performed with Pleyel's music (along with that of Haydn and Étienne Méhul) on 5 March 1793.

[16] Pleyel visited Vienna on business in 1805, meeting his now elderly mentor Haydn for a final time and hearing Beethoven play.

A reviewer writing in the Morning Herald of London (1791) said that Pleyel "is becoming even more popular than his master [Haydn], as his works are characterized less by the intricacies of science[19] than the charm of simplicity and feeling.