He was baptized as Heinrich Christoph, but changed his name when he came to the United States, probably in 1830, though some reports say 1824.
He settled in Boston where he made his debut as organist, pianist and vocalist on 13 February 1830.
His oratorio “The Feast of Tabernacles,” which was published in 1832, was premiered by the Boston Academy of Music in 1837 at the Odeon.
For several years, he showed symptoms of insanity; these, at first, were not thought by others to be serious, but on a trip to West Philadelphia he committed suicide.
Besides his oratorio, he issued some collections of music, notably “The American Harp” (Boston, 1839) and “Ancient Lyre” (1848).