Largely writing for teaching material, by the end of his short life he had created nearly three thousand works.
The son of an officer in the Imperial German Army, he was educated in music as most male children of privileged families were during the time.
In January 1891, against the wishes of his family (who encouraged Hans to become a doctor), he emigrated to the United States and soon established himself in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Engelmann wrote under the pseudonyms Heinrich Engel, Charles Lindsay and Pierre Renard, as well as his own name, a popular practice among musicians.
Other versions have been recorded by Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra, and Patsy Kline after lyrics were added in 1954 by Tom Glazer.