G e o r g R a p h a e l (1865-1904) came from a family of merchants in Berlin. After leaving school, he initially studied medicine in Munich and Heidelberg and completed his military service. It was only late in life that he decided to pursue a career as a musician. He studied composition under Woldemar Bargiel and Albert Becker, the director of the Berlin Cathedral Choir. He first worked as a church musician at the ''Lutherkirche'' in Berlin and later at the ''Matthäuskirche'' until his early death.
Father of Günter Rafael, the Berlin composer, church musician and lecturer.