Franz Ignaz von Beecke

Who was Franz Ignaz von Beecke?

Franz Ignaz von Beecke was a classical music composer born in Wimpfen am Neckar, Germany.

Von Beecke served in the Bavarian Dragoon Regiment of Zollern from 1756, during which time he fought in the Seven Years' War. He was known at the time chiefly for his great skill in playing the harpsichord, although he composed a wide range of music as well, having studied with Christoph Willibald Gluck. He died in Wallerstein, Germany.

In 1775, von Beecké met the 19 year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Munich, and according to Schubart's Teutschen Chronik the two engaged in a piano playing competition, which von Beecke was deemed to have won.