Otto, Ernst Julius 09/01/1804 - 03/05/1877

Ernst Julius Otto, born on 1 September 1804 in Königstein, died on 5 March 1877 in Dresden, was head of music in this city for many years.
In his hometown Königstein Otto had already played the organ for 9 years and sang Sopransoli at mass.
From 1814 to 1822 he visited the Kreuzschule in Dresden. Otto was praised also here because of his Sopransoli. Christian Theodor Weinlig and Friedrich Uber were responsible for his musical training.
As a pupil of the Obersekunda he wrote his first cantata for choir, solo and orchestra and also performed it in the Church of the Holy Cross. Otto preferred the music to theology studies. At the University of Leipzig Christian Theodor Weinlig belonged however to his teachers.


Otto was a student of Johann Gottfried Schicht in Leipzig from 1822 to 1825 and performed motets and cantatas there.


After many years of learning singing and piano at the Dresden School of Music from Blochmann Otto worked as cantor at the cross school from 1828 to 1875 and headed the Dresden Kreuzchoir. Also, he was longtime director of music at the protestant main church of Dresden, Frauenkirche, as well as cantor at Saint Sophia's Church. He lived on Waisenhausstraße 16.

As a conductor of the Dresden Singing Society Otto had personally obtained great merits around the flourishing of mens' vocals in Dresden. On 6 May 1876 the larger singing association of Dresden united with the Julius Otto Association a half year after his retirement. Otto was himself honorary conductor.
Otto was laid to rest at Trinitatisfriedhof. In 1886 a monument was dedicated to him in front of Kreuzschule in Dresden (bronze bust of Gustav Kietz); erected in 1887 as such in his naive city. At the house of Waisenhausstraße 33
a commemorative plaque was mounted. In 1890 a road received the name Julius Otto in Strehlen. On 10 August 2010 at the square in front of the Church of the Holy Cross a monument bust of Otto was inaugurated, which Niklas Klotz had modeled after. The house on Waisenhausstraße 33 where Otto lived and rented by Mrs. Emilie carried the title "Julius Otto House" after his death.
Otto also wrote a number of church music pieces (oratories, masses, a Te Deum, etc.), though he has particularly been known for his compositions for mens' vocals.