Benda, Georg Anton

(gā´ôrkh än´tôn bĕn´dä), 1722–95, Bohemian composer. Benda, whose Bohemian name was Jiří Antonín Benda, came from a musical family that moved to Prussia in 1742. His brother, the violinist Franz (in Bohemian, František) Benda, became a favorite of Frederick II. Benda is best known for his melodramas—dramatic works in which a speaking part is set against orchestral music—and singspiels.