S. came from an old established weaver family in Sebnitz. He attended the ''Kreuzschule'' in Dresden and trained as a musician and composer at the Institute for Musical Art under chamber musician Friedrich Tröstler and at the conservatory in Dresden. At the age of twenty he took over the leadership of the Dresden Singers' Association. He also worked as an opera singer at the municipal theatre in Chemnitz and at the court theatre in Dresden and gave singing lessons. Since 1875 he was at the head of the "Elbgausängerbund". In 1876 S. was appointed music director in Biel in Switzerland, where he conducted the "Liedertafel" and directed several canton singing festivals. His choir concerts and oratorio performances influenced contemporary musical life. S. was also extremely productive as a composer. Since the end of the 1860s he had written more than 200 compositions, mostly choral songs. The song "Unterm Lindenbaum", composed for male choir, enjoyed particular popularity.
