Marschner was widely regarded as one of the most important composers in Europe from about 1830 until the end of the 19th century. Marschner did not just toss off these works as an afterthought, but clearly devoted considerable time and effort to writing them. He gave the title "Grand Trio" to each of his works for piano, violin and cello, indicative of the importance he attached to them. In these pieces, one finds all of the emotions prevalent in the Romantic movement during the mid-19th century. To the extent that Marschner is still remembered, it is largely for his operas
Hans Heiling (1833),
Der Vampyr (1828) and
Der Templer und die Jüdin (1829), extremely popular in his lifetime. Marschner's ability to depict supernatural horror by musical means is especially evident in the first two operas as well as in some of his ballads, such as "" (c. 1839). Next to his operas, Marschner's most significant musical contribution is to the
Lied. The best of his works in this form are comparable with those by
Carl Loewe. He also wrote a considerable amount of chamber music, including seven piano trios, as well as unaccompanied male choruses that were very popular in the nineteenth century. While Marschner's operas strongly influenced Wagner, his chamber music, songs, and his
cantata ''
(1842) were admired by Schumann, whose cantata Paradise and the Peri'' (1843) shows the older composer's influence. Marschner's Bagatelles for guitar (1814) have been taken up lately by some guitarists, and some of his chamber music is still very occasionally played. Among his operas,
Hans Heiling and especially
Der Vampyr have been adapted and revived in recent years with considerable success. ==Selected works==