Before he had reached his 20th year he was an excellent performer on the piano, organ, violin, and cello. In 1845 he entered the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied piano with Charles Hallé and Camille-Marie Stamaty and singing with Manuel García. In 1849 he continued his studies with Garcia in London. He quickly won fame as a remarkable concert singer (baritone). From 1862 to 1869 he resided in Hamburg as conductor of the Philharmonic Society and Singakademie.
He spent the next five years in Stuttgart as Kammersänger to the King of Württemberg, then he became conductor of Stern's Gesangverein at Berlin, where he remained until 1878, being then called to Hoch Conservatory at Frankfurt as professor of singing. Differences with Joachim Raff, the director, led to his resignation the following year and the establishment of his own school, which immediately became world famous.
