Reicha

Reicha most often refers to Anton Reicha (also Anton Rejcha), a Czech-born composer and music theorist who lived from 1770 to 1836. Born in Prague into a family of musicians, he studied there and in Vienna before settling in Paris, where he spent much of his career. In Paris he established himself as a prolific composer and as a respected theorist. He wrote a large body of instrumental music, including symphonies, overtures, and an extensive output for wind instruments and chamber ensembles. His work is noted for exploring forms and harmonic language at the tail end of the Classical era and for anticipating some Romantic stylistic traits.

In addition to composition, Reicha was an influential teacher. He served as a professor at the Paris Conservatory, where he taught composition, counterpoint, and fugue. Through his teaching and his theoretical writings, he helped shape the education of a generation of French and other European composers. He published treatises on counterpoint and fugue that circulated widely and were read by many students of the time and later.

Legacy: Reicha’s music and theory bridged the Classical and Romantic periods. His contributions to wind ensemble literature and his progressive approach to form and harmony left a lasting imprint on 19th-century music education. Variants of the name include the Czech spelling Antonín Rejcha, while in French usage he is usually known as Anton Reicha.