(Born; Teutendorf, 27 April 1812; Died; Darmstadt, 24 Jan 1883). German composer. Of an aristocratic family, he attended the Paris Conservatoire and came under the influence of Auber, Rossini, Meyerbeer, Donizetti, Halévy and Adam, and later Gounod and Offenbach. By 1835 he had completed his first opera, Pierre et Cathérine, but he gained public notice only with Le naufrage de la Médeuse (1839). His most successful works were the tuneful if unsubstantial Alessandro Stradella (1844) and the delightful Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond (1847), both to texts by F.W. Riese. None of his 15 later operas rivalled the popularity of Martha, which in its concerted music shows dramatic flair and in its sentimental numbers (including 'The Last Rose of Summer') period charm and a delicate, romantic wistfulness. He also wrote instrumental music and songs.(c)Groves Dictionaries, MacMillan Publishers Limited, UK