Austrian composer. He studied with Anton Stoll, choirmaster at Baden, then went to Vienna to study with Wagenseil. During the 1780s he composed singspiels for several Viennese theaters, including Schikaneder's Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden. His symphonies also met with success during this time. In the mid-1790s he was Kapellmeister to Prince Auersperg and wrote for the court theaters, his singspiel Der Dorfbarbier (1796) was his greatest success. After 1802 he wrote no further stage works, concentrating instead on teaching and composing vocal and choral works. In 1793 Beethoven, then a formal pupil of Haydn, took lessons in counterpoint and composition from Schenk.