Anton Weidinger was an Austrian trumpet virtuoso in the classical era, and a "k. k. Hof- und Theater-Trompeter" (Imperial Royal Court and Theatre trumpeter).

Basing his ideas on earlier designs, in 1792, Weidinger experimented with a 5-keyed trumpet

Keyed trumpet

The keyed trumpet is a brass instrument that, contrary to the traditional valved trumpet, uses keys. The keyed trumpet is rarely seen in modern performances, but was relatively common up until the introduction of the valved trumpet in the early nineteenth century...

, a version of the instrument on which a full chromatic scale became possible, albeit with some loss of the instrument's usual power. It remained fashionable well into the 19th century when it was superseded by the valve trumpet.

In 1799 Weidinger became a member of the Imperial and Royal Court Trumpeter Corps.

In 1796 Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...

 composed his Concerto in E Flat Major for Trumpet and Orchestra

Trumpet Concerto (Haydn)

Joseph Haydn's Concerto per il Clarino, Hob.: VII e, 1 was written in 1796, when he was 64 years old, for his long time friend Anton Weidinger.-Original instrument:...

 for Weidinger, the first piece by Haydn developed for a trumpet solo. The first performance took place in Vienna at the Old Burgtheater

Burgtheater

The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...

 (now demolished) on 22 March 1800. Johann Nepomuk Hummel

Johann Nepomuk Hummel

Johann Nepomuk Hummel or Jan Nepomuk Hummel was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era.- Life :...

, who was Haydn's successor as Kapellmeister

Kapellmeister

Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...

 to the Esterházy

Esterházy

The House of Esterházy was a Hungarian noble family in Hungary beginning in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century they were among the great landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, during the time it was part of the Habsburg Empire and later Austria-Hungary.-History:The Esterházys arose...

 family, also composed a Trumpet Concerto

Trumpet Concerto (Hummel)

Johann Nepomuk Hummel wrote his Concerto a Trombe Principale for Viennese trumpet virtuoso and inventor of the keyed trumpet, Anton Weidinger . It was written in December 1803 and performed on New Year's Day 1804 to mark Hummel's entrance into the Esterházy court orchestra as Haydn's successor...

 for Weidinger; this was originally written in the key of E major, but is much more commonly played in the key of E flat major. Hummel also wrote a Trio for trumpet, piano and violin for Weidinger; unfortunately this is now lost. Other composers known to have written for Weidinger include Leopold Kozeluh and Joseph Weigl

Joseph Weigl

Joseph Weigl , was an Austrian composer and conductor.The son of Joseph Franz Weigl , the principal cellist in the orchestra of the Esterházy family, he was born in Eisenstadt and studied music under Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Antonio Salieri...

(1766–1846).