Biography
Benedict’s editions of Beethoven’s piano works, along with sonatas and additional pieces by Dusik, Weber and Mendelssohn, stand among his most significant additions to the musical repertoire. Equally substantial was the biography he wrote of Carl Maria von Weber. Although trained by Hummel, he studied directly under Weber and, during that period, gained an introduction to Beethoven. His skill on the podium carried him to engagements in Naples, Paris and London, where he led performances of his own one-act opera “Un amo ed un giorno” together with operas by his contemporaries Wallace and Balfe. After settling permanently in London, Benedict struggled to master the English ballad style, a form in which Balfe and Wallace already excelled. He achieved his greatest popular success in this idiom with the opera “The Lily of Killarney,” in which he at last captured the required manner. Among his critical writings, “The Legend of St. Cecilia” remains his most distinguished achievement. An able pianist himself, Benedict infused certain of his keyboard pieces with genuine character, yet most of them lack inventive spark. He further produced choral cantatas, oratorios and anthems, and he also ventured into light chamber music.