Schacht, Theodor, Freiherr von

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Schacht, Theodor, Freiherr von

Schacht, Theodor, Freiherr von, German pianist, composer, and conductor; b. Strasbourg, 1748; d. Regensburg, June 20, 1823. He studied piano with Küffher and harmony with Riepel in Regensburg (1756–66), then took lessons in composition with Jommelli in Stuttgart (1766–71). Returning to Regensburg in 1771, he became Hofkavalier; in 1773 he was appointed court music Intendant, serving as director of its Italian opera from 1774 to 1778 and again from 1784 to 1786. From 1786 to 1805 he was music director of the court orch. He then went to Vienna; in 1812 he returned to Germany. He was a prolific musician; wrote a number of operas and theater pieces to German and Italian texts, as well as competently crafted syms., concertos, and chamber music. He was a minor master of contrapuntal arts; his series of 84 canons, dedicated to members of “the fair sex,” quite amusing and even daring for his time, was publ, in Baden in 1811 under the title Divertimento del bel sesso nel soggiorno di Baden.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire