Christoph Willibald von Gluck (born July 2, 1714, in Erasbach and died November 15, 1787, in Vienna) was a German composer of the pre-Classical period. He is considered one of the most significant opera composers of the second half of the 18th century. The music writer and composer August Reissmann describes Gluck's life and works in this publication from 1882. Christoph Willibald von Gluck left behind around 50 operas as well as several ballets and instrumental works. Gluck's reform of opera also bore fruit in German opera, particularly in the works of Johann Christoph Vogel, Carl Maria von Weber, Heinrich Marschner, and Richard Wagner. A version of Iphigénie en Aulide, adapted by Wagner in 1846/47, was the standard version of the opera for decades and was performed in numerous opera houses across Europe. Reprint of the original edition from 1861.