Gersbach, Joseph 12/22/1787 - 12/03/1830

Joseph Gersbach (1787-1830) was a German composer and teacher. The son of a miller, he early developed an interest in poetry and music. He played organ in a monastery and led singing in the church before moving to Freiburg to study philology, philosophy and mathematics. After 1809 he taught music in Switzerland (Göttstadt bei Biel, Zürich and Ifferten am Neuenburger See) and Germany (Würzburg, Rastatt and Nürnberg). In 1823 he won an important professorship in Karlsruhe, where he taught not only music but also German, mathematics, and the natural sciences. He composed a series of polyphonic, simple folklike songs, which were primarily intended for school use.