Pleyel was above all an Austrian composer who happened to serve as a Kapellmeister to Count Erdody for a short period of time. Pleyel was a favorite student of Haydn and probably obtained this position as the Erdody's were related to Haydn's patron, Esterhazy. Pleyel was a full Kapellmeister in Strasbourg Cathedral in 1789 and eventually traveled to London but settled in Paris in 1795. It is difficult to assess the import that Pleyel had on music holistically as he also founded a piano factory and publishing company in Paris in 1807. Pleyel had a keen sense of popular tastes as can be discerned from the many styles apparent in his plethora of compositions. He was able to maintain a sense of popular taste and his music achieved wide circulation. There was even a Pleyel society in Nantucket, Massachusetts by 1822. Most of his compositions were instrumental in nature though vocal music, operas, and other songs suggest his diverse musical interests. He composed twenty nine symphonies, forty five string quartets, eighteen flute quartets, two violin concertos, four cello concertos, two piano concertos and six piano sonatas to list just a portion of his production. Many of the compositions were also structured so that they could be transposed for other instruments giving a wider scope to the amateur and professional public. (Pleyel clearly took advantage of his publishing company.) Characteristics of Pleyel's compositions include facile phrases, technical abilities and insights as well as a flavor for original melodies and comparable development. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi