Franz Ignaz Beck (1734–1809)
Six Symphonies, Op. 1
When Franz Beck composed his first symphonies, some
time around the mid–1750s, the genre was in its infancy
but it was by no means primitive. The most famous
exponent of the symphony, The most famous exponent
of the symphony, Johann Stamitz, director of the famous
Mannheim court orchestra and, coincidentally, Beck’s
teacher, had not only raised it to new levels of technical
sophistication but, together with a number of his gifted
colleagues, had also evolved a new and distinctive style
of writing for orchestra. Stamitz’s symphonies were
immensely popular, particularly in France. They
circulated in both printed editions and in manuscript
parts, exerting a profound if localised influence on the
development of the symphony. The presence of Stamitz,
Richter, Holzbauer, Filtz and others at the Mannheim
court created a unique musical environment that must
have been intoxicating to a young and ambitious
composer like Beck.
Beck began his musical studies with his father,
Johann Aloys, Rektor of the Choral School at the
Palatinate Court in Mannheim. He studied violin, double
bass and organ, among other instruments, and displayed
such impressive talents that the Elector Carl Theodor
undertook responsibility for his education. If the account
of Beck’s pupil Blanchard is to be believed, the young
musician had to flee Mannheim after fighting a duel
with a jealous rival and believing that he had killed him.
Many years later, the story goes, he learned that he had
been the victim of a hoax - his opponent had only
feigned death. This version of events is not universally
accepted and it has also been claimed that Beck left
Mannheim in rather less sensational fashion in order to
study with Baldassare Galuppi in Venice. Whatever the
circumstances of his departure, Beck certainly did live in
Venice for several years, for it was from there that he
eloped to Naples with Anna Oniga, his employer’s
daughter. After his eventful sojourn in Italy Beck moved
to Marseilles and became leader of a theatre orchestra.
Although the date of his arrival in France is uncertain he
must have been well-known by reputation at least by the
late 1750s since four sets of symphonies were published
in rapid succession by Parisian firms, beginning with the
present set which appeared in 1758. The title page of the
six Op. 1 Symphonies (‘Sei Overture’) describe him as
‘Chamber Virtuoso to the Elector Palatine and pupil of
Johann Stamitz’; the Op. 3 title page adds ‘and currently
first violin of the Concert in Marseilles’.
Beck moved from Marseilles to Bordeaux, where he
was appointed conductor of the Grand Théâtre. His
theatre duties were combined with composing and
teaching. Among his most prominent pupils were Pierre
Gaveaux, Blanchard and Boscha. In October 1774 he
was appointed organist at St Seurin, Bordeaux, where
his improvisations were widely admired. Among the
most important works of the pre-Revolutionary period is
the magnificent Stabat Mater, which was given its first
performance at Versailles. Like a number of other
prominent composers Beck appears to have had little
difficulty adjusting to the new regime and produced a
substantial number of patriotic works including a Hymne
à l’être suprême. In 1803 he was appointed
correspondent of music composition for the Institute of
France.
Beck’s symphonies have long been regarded as
among the most striking works of their kind from the
mid-eighteenth century. Their quality makes it all the
more puzzling that Beck apparently lost interest in the
genre as early as the mid–1760s. Had he brought his
formidable talents to bear on the symphony for another
twenty years or so he might have left a body of work
equal in stature to that of Wanhal or Kraus. Even the
earliest of his symphonies are remarkable for their
dramatic flair, rich harmonic language and fluid,
inventive part-writing.
The Six Symphonies, Op. 1, published by Venier in
1758, owe a great stylistic debt to Beck’s older
Mannheim colleagues and in particular to Johann
Stamitz and Franz Xaver Richter. The composition date
is uncertain and it is not possible to determine whether
the works were composed in Mannheim, Venice or even
in France. The title page of the edition - ‘SEI
OVERTURE / A PIÙ STROMENTI / COMPOSTE / DA
FRANCESCO BECK / Virtuoso di Camera di Sua / A. S.
L’ELECTOR PALATINO, / & Disepolo di Gioan
Stamitz. / OPERA PRIMA. / Fait Gravé par Venier...’-
suggests that Beck was still connected with the
Mannheim court, irrespective of where the works were
composed. This may indicate that his move to Venice
had the Elector’s sanction and that Blanchard’s
sensational account of his flight is unreliable.
In some respects the Op. 1 Symphonies are rather
conservative, glancing back to the style of Stamitz’s
symphonies written in the early and middle 1740s. It is
curious that there are few traces of influence from later
works like the impressive Op. 4 Symphonies, and it is
tempting to conclude that Beck was unfamiliar with
them. Stamitz spent much of 1754-1755 in Paris and it
was perhaps during this period that Beck left Mannheim
for Venice. There are, however, certain stylistic
similarities with Richter’s works particularly in respect
of their rich harmonic vocabulary, the employment of
startling harmonic progressions and their atmosphere of
emotional intensity. The signature Mannheim style is
hardly in evidence although the dramatic writing for the
violins clearly demands first-class players.
The Op. 1 Symphonies, or Overtures as they are
styled in the original edition, are short, three-movement
works in the conventional fast-slow-fast cycle. The use
of a Minuet as a finale in the second symphony is
relatively uncommon but by no means unknown in
works of this period. Its vigour is somewhat surprising
and serves as a reminder that for all its apparent
regularity the Minuet was frequently treated in very
unconventional ways. The most striking work in the set
is the G minor Symphony with its powerful, driving
outer movements and unsettling middle Andante. Beck
included minor key works in his first three published
sets of symphonies (Op. 3 includes two) but surprisingly
not in the fourth. These turbulent works have won many
admirers among scholars but still remain largely
unknown. The other works, however, are no less
impressive and display a compositional finish rare
among mid-century symphonies. Some of the
movements are very short - the finale of Op. 1, No. 6 is
a mere 35 bars – but all of them are impressively
organized and musically memorable. The opening
Allegro of the Symphony in A, Op. 1, No. 3, with its
chains of rising suspensions, exudes a fascinating
tension about it while retaining a sense of warmth and
gentle lyricism. While Beck does not venture into the
realms of strict counterpoint his part-writing is always
inventive, his textures varied and even in these very
early works he displays an unerring sense of orchestral
colour.
This recording was produced by Stephen Managh,
founder of the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra. Sadly
he died before seeing this final project through to
completion.
Allan Badley