Ernst Wilhelm Wolf

Ernst Wilhelm Wolf (baptised 25 February 1735 – 29 or 30 November 1792) was a German composer. Life Wolf was born in Grossen Behringen in Thuringia, today part of the Hörselberg-Hainich municipality. His elder brother Ernst Friedrich was a composer and organist who studied under Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel. Ernst Wilhelm’s musical talent manifested itself early, and already by age nine he was a skilled harpsichordist, particularly apt at figured bass realization. Wolf attended gymnasiums at Eisenach and at Gotha, where he became a choir prefect. It was in Gotha that Wolf first heard the music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Carl Heinrich Graun; he was particularly fascinated with Bach’s work. The admiration was mutual: a performance of some of Wolf’s compositions in 1752 drew praise from Bach. Wolf and Bach’s friendship lasted throughout their lives; Wolf helped collect subscriptions for Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s für Kenner und Liebhaber (for Connoisseurs and Amateurs) works (piano sonatas and rondos). Following his brother’s advice, in 1755 Wolf entered the University of Jena. There he became the director of the collegium musicum, for which he composed a number of works. After t