Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (1786-1826) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school. Der Freischutz, loosely translated, The Marksman, is based on German folk legend, and many of its tunes were inspired by German folk music. Johann Friedrich Kind (1768-1843) was a German dramatist, most famous for writing the libretto for Der Freischutz.