Moritz Henle (1850-1925) was born in Laupheim, the third of eleven children. He sang in his synagogue's boys' choir and loved violin and piano. At the age of twelve he entered the Konservatorium für Musik in Stuttgart, where he studied piano, violin, and voice. After two years he transferred to the Protestant Lehrerseminar (Teachers' Seminary) in Esslingen. In 1868 he began serving his home congregation as teacher and cantor. In 1873 he transferred to the newly built synagogue in Ulm, and resumed his studies of voice and composition in Stuttgart. In 1879 he became cantor in the Hamburg Israelitische Tempel, where he met his future wife Caroline Franziska. He founded a mixed choir and worked only in congregations where organ was used; this was revolutionary for the time. He published a songbook, wrote about music, trained singers and cantors and for 15 years chaired the German Cantor Association (Kantorenverband).