(Friedrich) Sebastian Mayer (actually Meier, 1773 – 9 May 1835) was a bass singer and stage director of the Classical era.

Life

Mayer was born at Benediktbeuern. In 1793, he joined the theater company of Emanuel Schikaneder. On 23 December 1797, he became the second husband of Josepha (Weber) Hofer, the sister of Constanze Mozart. Constanze was the widow of Mozart, who had died in 1791. Mayer's best man at this wedding was Emanuel Schikaneder. In 1805, he participated in the premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's opera Fidelio, taking the part of Pizarro. The role apparently was challenging, as the following quotation from Thayer's biography of Beethoven (p. 326) indicates: Mayer was apparently at least partly responsible for the preparation of the production, as he was the recipient of a letter from Beethoven filled with complaints and asking for more rehearsal and preparation. Mayer, who was also active as stage director at the Theater an der Wien, died in Vienna.

Assessment

Mayer is described in Thayer's biography of Beethoven (p. 326) as "moderately gifted bass singer, but a very good actor, and of the noblest and most refined taste in vocal music, opera as well as oratorio".