Julius Rietz was a cellist who was mostly known for his contributions as a conductor and as an editor. He studied with Romberg among others and played the cello throughout most of his career. As a conductor Rietz held the following positions: assistant conductor to Mendelssohn at Dusseldorf (1834); successor to Mendelssohn at Dusseldorf in 1835; conductor of the Leipzig Opera from 1847 until 1854; director of Gewandhaus concerts; professor of composition at the Leipzig Conservatory; and, conductor at Dresden from 1860. As a conductor and cellist he continued to perform particularly with Ferdinand Hiller and Ferdinand David. As a composer Rietz scored three operas, three symphonies, four concertos, and an oboe and string quartet. Rietz's most important contribution to the annals of music were his editions and preparations of the complete works of Mendelssohn and his redaction of some of the scores of Handel and Mozart for collected editions. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi