The son of company founder, Carl Koch [de], eventually became mayor and, thanks to his achievements in this office, an honorary citizen of the town.
He married Elise, Carl Koch's sister, and acquired the imposing Sparrhof [de], an old aristocratic residence, including the vineyard, which had previously belonged to the von Cronberg family.
Johanna Senfter and her four sisters were brought up in girls' boarding schools and received piano and singing lessons in line with the educational ideals of the time.
From 1895, at the age of 16,[1] she studied music theory and composition under Iwan Knorr,[1] violin under Adolf Rebner,[1] piano under Karl Friedberg[1] and organ under Prof. Gelhaar at the Hoch Conservatory[2] in Frankfurt am Main.
After Reger's death in 1916, Johanna Senfter entered a period of intense creativity with numerous compositions and concert appearances.
Prejudices about female composers, who were denied the ability to be creative in this field until well into the second half of the 20th century, may also have contributed to this ("If I weren't a woman, I would have it easier.").
For some years now, there have been increasing attempts to rediscover the work of this passionate composer, who had fallen into oblivion, and to make it known through score publications and concerts.