Richter, Ernst Friedrich Eduard 10/24/1808 - 04/09/1879

Ernst Friedrich Eduard Richter was the son of a schoolmaster. From his 11th year he attended the Gymnasium at Zittau, managed the choir, and arranged independent performances.



In 1831 Ernst Friedrich Eduard Richter went to Leipzig to study with Christian Theodor Weinlig, then Kantor of the Thomasschule, and made such progress that soon after the foundation of the Conservatorium, in 1843, he became one of the professors of harmony and counterpoint. Up to 1847 he conducted the Singakademie; he was afterwards organist successively of the Peterskirche (1851) and the Neukirche and Nicolaikirche (1862). After Moritz Hauptmann's death (January 3, 1868), he succeeded him as Kantor of the Thomasschule.



Of his books, the Lehrbuch der Harmonie (afterwards called Praktische Studien zur Theorie), (12th ed. 1876), has been translated into Dutch, Swedish, Italian, Russian, Polish and English. The Lehre von der Fuge has passed through three editions, and Vom Contrapunct through two. The English translations of all these are by Franklin Taylor, and were published by Cramer & Co. in 1864, 1878 and' 1874. respectively. Richter also published a Catechism of Organ-building. Of his many compositions de circonstance the best known is the cantata Dithyrambe, for the Schiller Festival in 1859. Other works worthy of mention are an oratorio, Christus der Erlöser (March 8, 1849), masses, psalms, motets, organ compositions, string quartets and sonatas for PF. He became one of the King's Professors in 1868 and on his death was succeeded as Kantor by Wilhelm Rust.



Source: Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1952 Edition, by Dr Franz Gehring)