Ludwig Rellstab

Heinrich Friedrich Ludwig Rellstab (13 April 1799 – 27 November 1860) was a German poet and music critic.

He was the son of the music publisher and composer Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab.

His outspoken criticism of the influence in Berlin of Gaspare Spontini landed him in jail in 1837.

[2] His considerable influence gave him some power over what music could be used for German nationalistic purposes in the mid-nineteenth century.

Because he had "an effective monopoly on music criticism" in Frankfurt and due to the popularity of his writings, Rellstab's approval would have been important for any musician's career in areas in which German nationalism was present.