Pleyel, Ignace |
| MUSICIAN, COMPOSER (AUSTRIA) |
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BORN 18 Jun 1757, Ruppersthal, Niederösterreich (near Wien) - DIED 14 Nov 1831, Paris BIRTH NAME Pleyel, Ignace Joseph GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Père Lachaise, Rue du Repos 16 (division 13, ligne 01, W, 20) |
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Ignace Pleyel was the 24th child of the schoolmaster Martin Pleyel. His musical genius was recognised at an early age. From 1772 he was a pupil of Michael Haydn and they remained friends for life. He worked for Count Erdödy as musical director and his marionette opera "Die Fee Urgele" had its premiere at Esterháza in November 1776. It was also performed in Vienna. He travelled to Naples and in 1783 he relocated to Strasbourg and he worked at Strasbourg Cathedral as an assistant to Franz Xaver Richter. Mozart praised him in a letter to his father in 1784. After Richter's death in 1789 he was the musical director of the cathedral of Strasbourg. In 1788 he had married Françoise-Gabrielle Lefebvre, the daughter of a carpet weaver. They had four children. In 1791 he went to London to conduct concerts and around this time his own compositions were performed all over Europe. In 1792 he returned to Strasbourg and from the money he earned in London he bought the Château d’Itenwiller at St Pierre. In 1795 he moved to Paris where he started publishing music in 1797, including cheap editions of works by Haydn and Mozart. In 1803 he composed his C-Major Symphony. In 1805 he visited Vienna and met Joseph Haydn for the last time. He also heard Beethoven perform. In 1807 he founded the Pleyel company that sold tailored piano's to musicians. In 1824 he retired and his later years he spent for most of his time at a farm 50 km outside Paris. He died in 1831 and his company ceased its publishing business three years after his death. He was buried at Père Lachaise in Pairs. His widow has a separate grave in the same section. His compositions were very popular in his own time but nowadays they are obscure. Family • Son: Pleyel, Camille Related persons • was a friend of Haydn, Joseph • was pupil of Haydn, Joseph |
| Images |
 The grave of Ignace Pleyel at Père Lachaise, Paris. Picture by Androom (24 Oct 2014) |
Sources • Ignaz Pleyel - Wikipedia |
