He was a pioneer in the rediscovery of French Baroque lute works and concertized widely as soloist and with chamber ensembles.
He received a musical education, as a violinist and violist, with his father Kurt Schäffer at the Robert Schumann Hochschule.
[1] His formal education took place at Staatliche Musikhochschule in Cologne where he majored in lute.
[1] His first academic appointment began in 1963 at Bergische Musikschule [de] in Wuppertal.
[1] In 1966 he was an original faculty member, lecturing on the lute, at the newly created Institute for Early music at Rheinische Musikschule [de].