Carl Friedrich Zelter was a German conductor and composer of the Romantic era. He is best known for his settings of texts written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He was born in Berlin in 1758 to a non-musical family. His father was a mason and ran his own masonry business. Zelter's musical talents were obvious at a very young age, as he taught himself how to play the piano and violin. He began performing as a part-time violinist with the Orchestra of the Theater am Gendarmenmarkt in 1779. As for his schooling, he was trained as a mason, with the intention of eventually taking over his father's business. This plan became a reality in 1783 when he became a master mason, and in 1787 he was given control of the business. It was also around this time when he studied composition with Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch. Zelter also joined the newly formed Berliner Sing-Akademie in 1791, which was founded and conducted by Fasch. Around this time, he composed his Piano Sonata Op. 3, Ode an die Freude, and several lieder. In 1800 he began serving as the conductor of the Berliner Sing-Akademie after Fasch passed away earlier that year. With Zelter conducting, the Sing-Akademie was initially focused on performing sacred music of older generations, and they became highly respected and inspired the formation of many similar ensembles around Germany. He had also become friends with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and he set 75 of Goethe's texts to music. They remained close friends until their final years and exchanged around 900 letters. Zelter founded an orchestra in 1807 to accompany the Sing-Akademie, which enabled them to perform more contemporary works, like Mozart's Requiem and Bach's motets. Two years later he also started a men's choir, and became a professor at the Akademie der Künste. Some of his more prominent students include Felix Mendelssohn, Giacomo Meyerbeer, and Otto Nicolai. He stayed active as a composer and completed his 10 lieder fur Männerstimmen just months before he passed away in 1832. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi