Anton Reicha

Antoine Reicha (1770-1836) may have lived and composed into the Romantic era, but his music is solidly rooted in the Classical, with a thorough absorption of the lessons of Haydn and Salieri, and despite his friendship with the innovative Beethoven. Reicha, in turn, wrote some of nineteenth century Europe's more widely used treatises on composition. He strove to successfully compose in all genres, but his operas and choral works -- some of which are quite well-crafted and attractive -- and his orchestral music have had relatively modest appreciation compared to his large body of chamber music, particularly the works for wind instruments.