Peter (Carl August) Cornelius

1824 - 1874

Cornelius short biography

Peter Cornelius was a man of many talents: violinist, composer, poet, actor and a linguistic wizard.  Cornelius’s music, however, was not appreciated much during his lifetime. Only in 1905, long after Cornelius’s death, a Weimar music festival dedicated to Cornelius’s works, finally brought  Cornelius the recognition he long deserved. Cornelius composed great number of exquisite songs using his own poems. Cornelius’s church music is considered his best compositions. A unique true poet-composer, Cornelius was admired by Wagner and Liszt.