Lortzing, Gustav Albert

LORTZING, GustavAlbert, opera-composer, born at Berlin, Oct. 23, 1803, son of an actor. He studied for a time under Rungenhagen, but the wandering life entailed by his father's profession made steady instruction an impossibility, and at 9 he was thrown upon his own resources, played the pianoforte, violin, and cello, studied the works of Albrechtsberger and others, and soon began to compose. At the same time, he habitually sung and acted on the stage, and thus secured a...