page_title: Franz Ignaz Beck
section_title: 1757-1760 Fame in France
hierarchical_section_title: Franz Ignaz Beck / Biography / 1757-1760 Fame in France
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Carte de Marseille, gravure extraite de l'Atlas de Braun et Hogenberg&#160;: Civitates Orbis Terrarum'
context_page_description: Franz Ignaz Beck was a German violinist, composer, conductor and music teacher who spent the greater part of his life in France, where he became director of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux. Possibly the most talented pupil of Johann Stamitz, Beck is an important representative of the second generation of the so-called Mannheim school. His fame rests on his 24 symphonies that are among the most original and striking of the pre-Classical period. He was one of the first composers to introduce the regular use of wind instruments in slow movements and put an increasing emphasis on thematic development. His taut, dramatic style is also remarkable for its employment of bold harmonic progressions, flexible rhythms and highly independent part writing.
context_section_description: After his sojourn in Italy, Beck moved to Marseilles where he became concert master at the theatre orchestra. The exact date of his arrival in France is uncertain, but the performance of one of his symphonies in Paris in 1757 is documented. When Beck's Parisian publisher Venier announced the publication of Beck's op. 3 in November 1762, he introduced Beck with these words: Actualmente Primo Violino del Concerto di Marsilia. Between 1757 and 1762, all of his 24 symphonies were published in rapid succession by Parisian firms. At least seven performances of Beck's symphonies are known to have been given in Marseilles in 1760-61.
caption: Marseille (ca. 1700)
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