German composer Franz-Ignaz Beck (1734-1809). He is said to have eloped from Mannheim with his beloved to Italy, following a court intrigue. By way of Marseille, he finally arrived in Bordeaux, where he was appointed conductor of the opera orchestra. Although he was entirely a man of the Mannheim School, Beck's sense of drama, his rhythmic energy and finesse, as well as the sudden changes of expression in his compositions clearly go far beyond the Mannheim paradigm.