Early Years
Born in Rottenburg am Neckar, Hoffmeister went to Vienna at the age of fourteen to study law. Following his studies, however, he decided on a career in music and by the 1780s he had become one of the city’s most popular composers, with an extensive and varied catalogue of works to his credit.
Hoffmeister’s reputation today however rests almost exclusively on his activities as a music publisher. By 1785 he had established one of Vienna’s first music publishing businesses, second only to Artaria & Co which had ventured into the field just five years earlier.
Hoffmeister published his own works and those of many important composers of the time, including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Clementi, Albrechtsberger, Dittersdorf, and Vanhal. These famous composers were also among Hoffmeister's personal friends: Mozart dedicated his String Quartet in D (K.499) to him, and Beethoven addressed him in a letter as "most beloved brother".
Read more about this topic: Franz Anton Hoffmeister
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