He became an international celebrity through his success in the world of German opera, and his explorations into novel instrumental timbres greatly enriched orchestral music, this week Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Carl Maria von Weber.

Weber had been appointed Royal Kapellmeister to the royal court in Dresden where he was required to compose music for special occasions, such as a cantata to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the King's accession, and his Mass No 2 for the celebrations to mark the King's golden wedding. However, the composer frequently found himself out of favour on account of his German nationality. The King and his court had a preference for Italian music, and Weber often found himself at loggerheads with officialdom.

Weber married the singer Caroline Brandt and, in 1818, she gave birth to their first child, Marie, who died just three months later. Weber sank into a depression, and also began to show signs of tuberculosis. He was buoyed by the success of his incidental music for Preciosa, and he soon turned his attention to a new comic operatic idea, Die drei Pintos. Show less