Anton Teyber (1756–1822)
Symphony in C
This first printed edition of the symphony is based on a source from the music archive of the Rudolstadt court orchestra (Hofkapelle). The original title reads:
Nro. 134 / Sinfonia in C / a / 2 Clarini / Timpani / 2 Corni / 2 Oboi, Fagotti / 2 Violini, / Viola con Baße / di Teÿber
Audio sample: 1st movement
Anton Teyber
During the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's third journey to Vienna, his father Leopold wrote to Salzburg on 25 August 1773 that the Messmer family had moved out to Rotmühl and that, time permitting, they would pay them a visit there and take the Teybers along. The Teybers, who appear in Mozart's letters more than once, were the family of the esteemed “violinist at the imperial court in Vienna”, Matthäus Teyber (also spelled Täuber, Teuber, Teiber, Taiber or Tayber; 1711–1785). He and his wife Therese had several children, four of whom became musicians:
- Elisabeth Teyber (1744–1816) was one of the most famous prima donnas of her day. In 1776 Leopold Mozart confirmed her fame in a letter to his son, in which he voiced concern about Aloysia Weber's future prospects.
- Therese Teyber (1760–1830) sang at the Vienna National Theatre and in 1782 was the first Blondchen in the Viennese premiere of Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail.
- Franz Teyber (1758–1810) studied composition with his father and with Wagenseil, and was esteemed as the foremost organist in Vienna alongside Albrechtsberger. Among other posts he served as concertmaster in Karlsruhe, and later toured Swabia and Switzerland for years with Schikaneder's theatre company. His heroic opera Alexander, to a libretto by Schikaneder, opened Schikaneder's newly built Theater an der Wien in 1801. Shortly before his death, Franz Teyber was appointed court organist in Vienna.
Anton Teyber was born in Vienna on 8 September 1756. After initial training with his father, he studied for nine years, until 1775, with Padre Martini in Bologna, and then accompanied his sister Elisabeth on a tour of Europe. In 1783 he took part in Baron van Swieten's musical evenings in Vienna, as a letter from Mozart reveals: “All this is only to let Baron van Swieten hear it. He sings the treble, I the alto (and play at the same time), Starzer the tenor, young Teyber from Italy the bass.”
On 15 May 1784 Anton Teyber became the 135th member of the Vienna Society of Musicians (Tonkünstler-Societät). From 1787 he was first court organist at the Dresden court orchestra, where Mozart met him in April 1789 on his journey to Berlin. On 1 December 1791 Teyber joined the orchestra of the Vienna court opera as harpsichordist and assistant to Salieri. When the reforms under Emperor Leopold II cost him his position in 1793, he addressed a petition to the emperor on 8 February 1793 and was appointed court composer on 1 March 1793. The post had been vacant since Mozart's death, which made Teyber his direct successor. He also taught piano to the young members of the imperial family. His pupils included Archduke Rudolph, later a friend of Beethoven, who after Teyber's death in 1822 bought the entire musical estate from the widow.
Beethoven had at that time applied for the vacant post of imperial court composer, but it was never filled again. Anton Teyber was a prolific composer: he supplied the court's masked balls (Redouten) with dance pieces and created an extensive oeuvre of chamber music, orchestral works, oratorios, masses and other sacred works; he was also active as a music theorist. Unfortunately, most of his compositional output remains unexplored.