Franz Hoffmeister Program Notes and Sheet Music

The Publisher Who Befriended Genius

In the spring of 1800, Ludwig van Beethoven sat down to write a letter to his friend and publisher, Franz Anton Hoffmeister. Never one to miss an opportunity for a joke, Beethoven began with a flurry of puns, twisting Hoffmeister's title of "Herr Verleger" (Mr. Publisher) into "Herr Verleger", as in one who misplaces or gets things wrong. He playfully accused his friend of being "stuck in a rut" and teased him about musical matters, all before getting down to the business of offering him new compositions. This brief, humorous note reveals the comfortable and familiar relationship Hoffmeister enjoyed with the towering geniuses of his day. He was not just their publisher; he was their colleague, their friend, and a gifted composer whose own music captured the very essence of Viennese classicism.

From Rothenburg to Vienna

Franz Anton Hoffmeister was born in Rothenburg am Neckar, Germany, on May 12, 1754. At the young age of fourteen, he traveled to the magnificent imperial city of Vienna with the intention of studying law. Vienna was, at that time, the undisputed musical capital of Europe, a city teeming with orchestras, opera houses, and aristocratic patrons hungry for new music. For a young man with a musical soul, the pull was irresistible. Hoffmeister soon abandoned his legal studies and threw himself into the city's vibrant cultural life, dedicating himself entirely to music.

He quickly absorbed the prevailing musical language—the elegant, balanced, and melodious style of the Classical era. He studied composition, performed, and began to write his own music. By the early 1780s, he had established himself as one of the city's most popular and prolific composers, with a catalogue of works that grew at an astonishing pace.

The Birth of a Publishing Empire

While his compositions were popular, Hoffmeister’s sharp business acumen led him to his most historically significant venture. Recognizing the booming market for printed music among Vienna’s professional and amateur musicians, he founded his own music publishing house in 1785. This was a pivotal moment. Music publishers were the engines of the classical music economy, responsible for engraving, printing, and distributing the works that fueled the city's insatiable musical appetite.

Hoffmeister’s firm quickly became one of the most important in Vienna. His catalogue was a who's who of the Classical era. He published works by his friend Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Muzio Clementi, Ignaz Pleyel, and a young firebrand named Ludwig van Beethoven. His shop on the Graben, one of Vienna's most fashionable streets, became a central meeting point for the city's composers, musicians, and music lovers. He had his finger on the pulse of Vienna, understanding what the public wanted and having the connections to the greatest composers to provide it.

A Composer for the People

Hoffmeister's work as a publisher never eclipsed his own creative drive. He was an astonishingly prolific composer, producing a vast body of work across all genres. His output includes at least eight operas, more than 50 symphonies, numerous concertos, and a wealth of chamber music, totaling over 300 published works.

His style is the epitome of Viennese classicism: graceful, clear, and beautifully crafted. While not a revolutionary innovator like Mozart or Beethoven, he was a master of melody and form. He wrote music that was designed to be both pleasing to the listener and rewarding for the performer.

His most enduring contributions are in the concerto and chamber music genres. The Viola Concerto in D major stands as his single most famous work and is a cornerstone of the viola repertoire. It is a brilliant and demanding piece that showcases the instrument's lyrical and virtuosic capabilities. Equally important is his vast output for the flute. He composed over 25 flute concertos and more than 100 chamber works featuring the instrument, particularly his delightful flute quartets. These pieces remain favorites among flutists for their charm and elegance.

Friendships with Genius: Mozart and Beethoven

Hoffmeister’s position as a leading publisher placed him at the center of a circle of geniuses. He developed a warm friendship with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The two were not only business associates but also friends who likely socialized in the same Masonic lodges and musical circles. In 1786, Mozart dedicated his brilliant String Quartet in D major, K. 499, to his friend, and it has been known ever since as the "Hoffmeister" Quartet. This was a clear sign of Mozart's personal and professional respect. Hoffmeister, in turn, published several of Mozart’s crucial late works.

His relationship with Beethoven was equally significant. He was one of Beethoven’s very first Viennese publishers, recognizing the young composer's immense talent early on. He published early masterpieces like the Piano Sonata No. 8, "Pathétique", and negotiated to publish major orchestral works, including the First Symphony and the Third Piano Concerto. Their correspondence shows a relationship built on mutual respect, though often seasoned with Beethoven’s characteristic impatience and Hoffmeister’s careful business sense.

The Bureau de Musique in Leipzig

Around the turn of the century, Hoffmeister embarked on a new venture. In 1800, he left Vienna for Leipzig to partner with the organist Ambrosius Kühnel in founding a new publishing house, the "Bureau de Musique." This firm was even more ambitious than his Viennese operation. One of its first major projects was to publish the complete keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach in a new, scholarly edition, a monumental undertaking that helped spark the 19th-century Bach revival.

Hoffmeister eventually returned to Vienna in 1805, leaving the Leipzig firm in the hands of his partner. That firm would eventually be acquired by Carl Friedrich Peters and evolve into the world-renowned Edition Peters, a publishing house that remains a global leader to this day.

Legacy as Composer and Businessman

Franz Anton Hoffmeister died in Vienna on February 9, 1812. He left behind a remarkable dual legacy. As a publisher, he was a brilliant entrepreneur who played an indispensable role in disseminating the music of the greatest composers of his age. His firms in Vienna and Leipzig helped to define the classical canon, preserving and promoting masterpieces that might otherwise have been lost.

As a composer, he was a master of his craft. He wrote with fluency, elegance, and an unfailing sense of melody. While his name may not carry the same weight as his legendary friends, his music has endured on its own considerable merits. For violists, flutists, and lovers of the Classical style, the name Hoffmeister will always be synonymous with beautifully crafted music that continues to delight performers and audiences more than two centuries after his death.

Section 4: References and Further Reading

• Lawson, Colin. "Hoffmeister, Franz Anton." In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001.

• King, A. Hyatt. Mozart in Retrospect: Studies in Criticism and Bibliography. London: Oxford University Press, 1955.

• Solomon, Maynard. Beethoven. 2nd rev. ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 2001.

• Weinmann, Alexander. Die Wiener Verlagshäuser Artaria & Comp. und Tranquillo Mollo. Vienna: Universal Edition, 1978.