If I had as much melody as you, and you had as much knowledge as I, we would both be great men. These words capture the essence of Georg Joseph Vogler. While his pupil Carl Maria von Weber famously composed countless Romantic classics, Vogler secured lasting recognition primarily through his theories of composition. However, during his lifetime, he was also highly esteemed as a musician, not only in German-speaking regions but also in Paris, London, Rotterdam, Stockholm, and Vienna. His prolific output spanned a wide range of genres, from opera and singspiel to keyboard music, sacred works, and symphonies. His third and final symphony, La Scala, appears to be a direct response to Mozart's "learned" Jupiter Symphony. Though Mozart himself dismissed Vogler as a charlatan, even he was not infallible. Listen and judge for yourself!
