Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 1786 – 4/5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school.
Weber s operas Der Freischütz, Euryanthe and Oberon greatly influenced the development of the Romantic opera in Germany. Der Freischütz came to be regarded as the first German "nationalist" opera, Euryanthe developed the Leitmotif technique to a hitherto-unprecedented degree, while Oberon anticipated Mendelssohn s music for A Midsummer Night s Dream and, at the same time, revealed Weber s lifelong interest in the music of non-Western cultures.