George Thomas Smart (1776-1876) - Fotografie einer Lithographie von Charles Joseph Hullmandel nach einem vermutlich von William Bradley stammenden Gemälde

Sir George Thomas Smart worked as conductor, organist and composer in London. As one of the founding members of the Philharmonic Society he conducted a series of concerts between 1843 and 1844.

It was his committed activity that made the works of Ludwig van Beethoven and Robert Schumann known in Britain. On March 21st, 1825 he conducted the first public performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony op. 125 in Britain. In the same year he visited Vienna and met Beethoven several times. When saying good-bye to the admired composer on September 16th,

he gave Beethoven a diamond pin. Beethoven thanked Smart by composing the canon "Ars longa, vita brevis" WoO 192. He did so within only two minutes, as Smart later noted down in his diary.(S.B.)