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Weber

Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826) was a German composer whose operas Der Freischütz and Oberon helped establish the vocabulary of German Romantic opera and influenced Wagner more than any other single predecessor. In 1826, already gravely ill with tuberculosis, he travelled to London to conduct the premiere of Oberon, knowing the fee would secure his family's financial future after his death. He completed the run of performances and died in his sleep in London five weeks later, aged thirty-nine. When his remains were finally returned to Dresden in 1844, it was Wagner who conducted the ceremony.

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