He was particularly admired for his performances of the compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach, Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn.
After attending high school in Hildesheim, he studied at Göttingen and at the Leipzig Conservatory.
In 1881 he started appearing in concerts in Leipzig that were organized by Carl Riedel's music club.
In 1885 he joined the faculty of the Leipzig Conservatory where he taught for the rest of his life.
Among his pupils were the composer Sigfrid Karg-Elert and the Anglo-Canadian conductor and keyboardist Harry Dean.