"Carl Friedrich Zelter (11 December 1758 – 15 May 1832) was a German composer, conductor and teacher of music. Working in his father´s bricklaying business, Zelter ...
attained mastership in that profession, and was a musical autodidact.
Zelter was born and died in Berlin. He became friendly with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and his works include settings of Goethe´s poems. During his career, he composed about two hundred lieder, as well as cantatas, a viola concerto (performed as early as 1779) and piano music.
Amongst Zelter´s pupils (at different times) were Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny Mendelssohn, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Eduard Grell, Otto Nicolai, Johann Friedrich Naue, and Heinrich Dorn. See: List of music students by teacher: T to Z#Carl Friedrich Zelter. Felix Mendelssohn was perhaps Zelter´s favorite pupil and Zelter wrote to Goethe boasting of the 12-year old´s abilities. Zelter communicated his strong love of the music of J. S. Bach to Mendelssohn, one consequence of which was Mendelssohn´s 1829 revival of Bach´s St Matthew Passion at the Sing-Akademie under Zelter´s auspices. This epochal event sparked a general re-evaluation and revival of Bach´s works, which were then largely forgotten and regarded as old-fashioned and beyond resuscitation. Mendelssohn had hoped to succeed Zelter on the latter´s death as leader of the Singakademie, but the post went instead to Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen." - (en.wikipedia.org 03.11.2019)
