Anton Diabelli

Anton Diabelli (September 6, 1781 – April 7, 1858) was an Austria music publisher, editor and composer. Best known in his time as a publisher, he is most familiar today as the composer of the waltz on which Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his set of thirty-three Diabelli Variations. Diabelli was born in Mattsee near Salzburg. He was trained to enter the priest, but also took music lessons with Michael Haydn. He moved to Vienna to teach the piano and guitar before becoming partners with Pietro Cappi in 1818 and setting up a music publishing firm with him. The firm, Cappi & Diabelli (which became Diabelli & Co. in 1824) became well known by arranging popular pieces so they could be played by amateurs at home. The firm became well known in more serious music circles by becoming the first to publish works by Franz Schubert, a composer the firm later championed. Diabelli produced a modest number of works as a composer, including an operetta called Adam in der Klemme, a number of mass and... full article at wikipedia