born Oct. 13, 1792, Dresden, Saxony
died Jan. 3, 1868, Leipzig
German musicologist.
After studying composition and violin with Louis Spohr , he played in a number of orchestras. From 1842 he was cantor of the music school at J.S. Bach 's former church in Leipzig. In 1850 he cofounded the Bach Gesellschaft, devoted to publishing Bach's complete works; he served as its president the rest of his life and edited its first three volumes. As a theorist, he is known for his emphasis on the harmonic dualism of major and minor (based on the philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel ).