He is known for his writings about Ludwig van Beethoven, publishing the composer's first major biography as a translation of Alexander Wheelock Thayer's work.

[2] From 1842 onwards, Deiters and his younger brother Otto attended the Beethoven-Gymnasium Bonn [de], which was then headed by Ludwig Schopen.

His first position (in winter 1854/55 as an auscultator at the Berlin city court) did not satisfy him, so he returned to Bonn and resumed his studies of philology.

In accordance with his inclination and versatile talents, he joined Jahn in particular, who represented broad areas of antiquity studies and was also known as a musician and musicologist.

He laid down technical, methodological-didactic, and pedagogical principles, as he was used to them from Bonn, and set up student libraries and collections of teaching materials.

He abandoned his plan to become a composer or pianist before he began his studies, but the history, development and practice of music occupied him throughout his life.

At the beginning of his career, Deiters wrote music reviews and reports for various newspapers and magazines, including the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung.