Beecke, (Notger) Ignaz (Franz) von

Beecke, (Notger) Ignaz (Franz) von, German composer and pianist; b. Wimpfen am Neckar, Oct. 28, 1733; d. Wallerstein, Jan. 2, 1803. He was a member of the Zollern Dragoons of the Bavarian Electorate and served in the Seven Years War. During this time, he managed to study with Gluck. While serving as a lieutenant in the Swabian Army, he went to Wallerstein in 1759 and became a courtier in the retinue of Count Philipp Karl of Oettingen-Wallerstein. In 1763 he became a captain and soon was made the count’s music director, making the court band an admirable ensemble. He also was the personal adjutant to the young Count Kraft Ernst, who took charge of the government in 1773 and was elevated to the princeship in 1774. Beecke continued to serve the new prince and was made a major in 1792. He also made tours as a pianist, and in 1791 appeared in concert before the King of Prussia in Berlin. Beecke’s stage works were influenced by Gluck and his instrumental music by Haydn.

Works

DRAMATIC: Roland, opera (Paris, after 1770); Claudine von Villa Bella, Schauspiel mit Gesang (Vienna, June 13, 1780); Die Jubelhochzeit, comic opera (Mannheim, June 9, 1782); Die Weinlese, Singspiel (Mannheim, Dec. 10, 1782); Don Quixotte, Singspiel (1784); List gegen List or Die Glocke, Singspiel (c. 1785); Das Herz behaält seine Redite, Singspiel (Mainz, 1790); Nina, Singspiel (Aschaffenburg, 1790); Die zerstörte Hirtenfeier, pastorale (Aschaffenburg, 1790). ORCH.: 21 syms.; 3 concertante syms.; 24 keyboard concertos; 2 serenades; 3 wind partitas. CHAMBER: Piano Sextet; Piano Quintet; Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Cello; 15 string quartets; 6 quartets for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Bass; 6 string trios; Piano Trio; 4 duos for Violin and Harpsichord; keyboard pieces, including about 25 piano sonatas and 6 harpsichord sonatas. VOCAL: Die Auferstehung, oratorio (Vienna, 1794); Requiem; 2 masses; about 16 cantatas; songs.

Bibliography

F. Munter, I. v. B. (1733–1803) una seine Instrumen-talkompositionen (diss., Univ. of Munich, 1921); F. Little, The String Quartet at the Oettingen-SNaller stein Court: I.v. B. and His Contemporaries (2 vols., N.Y., 1989).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire